In the past two weeks since I began advertising my piano for sale, I have received a number of responses and inquiries. It seemed best to me to reply to all of you at once, though I will send these individually rather than via cc for your confidentiality.

To review, for the sake of those to whom I have not given details, the piano is a Steinway C, serial number 86734, built in 1896. It was purchased in Northampton, MA, by my mother-in-law in the early 1950's and has been in the possession of first her, then my wife, since then. It was purchased from Ida Haigh, a pianist who was, I believe, on the Smith College faculty. It is seven feet, three inches in length with square legs, spade feet, and a simple music desk, as you can see. The finish is the original black satin and is no longer fully glossy. The 88 keys are original ivory and ebony, except for two or three ivories which had been chipped or cracked and were replaced with period genuine ivory.

About ten or fifteen years ago, Gary Brownfield was contracted to do a major reconditioning. The sound board was replaced, a new pin block with oversize pins was put in place, the bridges were recapped, and new hammers installed. The original shanks and wippens remain, knuckles okay, no Teflon bushings, keys rebushed. New dampers were installed and the back cheeks releathered. A DampChaser humidity system was installed.

The piano was my wife's, and she treated it as a serious instrument for a serious musician. S he had been employed as an organist at two churches, kept the piano tuned and regulated, and practiced on it for hours every day. However, she died of cancer just after Thanksgiving. I would like to have it be used rather than sit idle in our living room, so it is going on the market.

I realize that this is a narrow market, with few people in the market for a seven foot musical instrument, but also that they are not making these any more, and that they are few and far between. Fortunately for me, I am not under any pressure to sell quickly, but also am ready to act quickly.

I have been doing research and have seen examples of Cs going in the seventy thousands of dollars in retail settings (cf. http://www.faustharrisonpianos.com/Inventory/inventory.html ). I do not expect that sort of top dollar, but it seems reasonable to me, considering the number of interested parties I have already found, to place an initial price of thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000.00) on this piano. If more than one bidder is interested at that price, we will sort it out. If no one is interested at that price, I will eventually consider offers.

The piano is located on the first floor of my home in Newton, a suburb just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. We are one mile from I-95 and fewer than five miles from the Mass Pike. You can reach me by e-mail or by phone at 617-244-6396. Thanks for your interest.

Sean F. Kelly, Ph.D.