Posted 5 years ago
ThePerkyPi…
(4 items)
I recently found this extremely rare, 1904 “The Columbus Piano Co” “Budoir” upright piano. They re very neat. They are almost half the size of antique upright pianos of the same time period, as well as them only having 76 keys, as opposed to 88. It measures 51.5” wide, 23.5” deep and only 50.5” tall. They were intended for houses that were too small for a traditional upright piano, yet they provided all the quality sound a full size counterpart offered. In my opinion, I rescued this piece of history. I read somewhere where they said that they’ve only ever seen a few examples of this piano. They’d be sick to know where this guy has been sitting. I will try to post better pictures. I just got it. Email me if you have any more information about this piano. I would love to know.
Thank you all for the positive feedback and information. I added a couple more pictures from the day I came across it. I was working for a bank in my spare time, serving papers to people with outstanding loans (yes, it is a terrible job!) the guy needed help moving his things to a more permanent location. I had a pick up truck, so I offered to help. The place he was moving hardly had room for him, let alone the piano. I told him what I knew about it. He had no idea. It was just in the house when he bought it. I helped him move all his belongings and then gave him all the money in my pocket ($214) and said this was just a down payment, and when I sell it....I’ll split it with ya 50/50. He said awesome, yeah ok. I really don’t want to sell the thing. When I saw what one was going for, I thought to myself how much I really don’t know the first thing about selling something like that. So it just sits for now. I’ve only had it a week, but it sure has grown on me. It’s so cool and classy. I just gave it a gentle wipe down. I hope to have it tuned shortly, but don’t know if any kind of anything done to it could affect the value. It seems as though there aren’t many that exist. These pictures do zero justice. I will post more later. Sorry for the winded post.
Yes, I believe mine is the exact same as the 1906 you provided pictures of, with the exception of different wood/finish. I would love to know how many of them were made. They appear to be somewhat collectible. What a neat piece of history that found and chose me.
Is this something I should consider getting appraised for insurance purposes? I have other antiques/collectibles, but I’m aware of their value. I would imagine there is a big price difference between fully restored and the value this currently has. I just don’t know what it would take to make it fully restored. It appears to be in very good condition, from my humble opinion. Does anyone know of someone I could speak to a little more in depth about some of my questions and concerns regarding the piano? i understand there weren’t a lot of examples of this piano out there, and I want to do right to ensure prolonged exposure to its historical significance. Even possibly a museum that would benefit more from it than I would? Or maybe I’m thinking too much, and applying more significance to the piece than there actually is. Thank you to all who have shared their knowledge and expertise. I’ve learned some interesting facts that make me appreciate it even more.
I'm not certain where you are ThePerkyPianist, but I'd first look somewhere (close to you, hopefully) for a reputable "piano technician" -- not necessarily just a "tuner" (and preferably not a 'salesman') but the sort of craftsman trained and experienced in caring for and properly maintaining high quality pianos. If you have such nearby, maybe you could contact someone at the Music Dept. of a local college, performance hall, or large church (etc) who might be likely to already own a high-end piano, to inquire if they could direct you to someone for further evaluation and advice.
GOOD LUCK with it -- it *does* seem like an interesting instrument one way or the other. :-) :-) :-)
As an aside, I believe 'short compass' pianos similar to this were also available 'back in their day' with (coin op?) paper roll self-player mechanisms included. Many of these might have made their way to saloons/taverns of the time, once more because of their smaller size/weight. Sadly many of those probably ultimately perished once the "jukebox" came onto the scene to take over that commercial music niche.
Contacting the head of the college music department is a great idea. I really should have thought of that myself. Thank you for your excellent insight. I’m so glad I happened upon this site. You all have become pivotal in my eagerness and ability to ensure proper care of this interesting timepiece. It absolutely makes me think of a saloon setting right at the turn of the century. Which also happens to be my favorite era to continue to be educated on. It’s nice to know I’m not a lone weirdo for finding this all so fascinating.
BY the way. I’m in southern Illinois. About 90 miles east of St. Louis. Not usually a hotbed for culture, but very popular area for finding antiques of all kind. I tried emailing that company from the website, but they seemed to be more concerned with extracting money out of me, by all means necessary. I get it....but it still kind of stinks.
Hello again PerkyPianist! Between St. Louis and Springfield I'm comforted that you should be able to locate someone to give much better help (even if it takes a bit of work to track down, etc) than what I'd suspect to get from any random 'online authority' in order to obtain truly accurate advice. (unless that'd be an already reputable music/piano museum of course...such *do* exist which you should might also look into if you haven't already?)
In very general terms, you'll need to be concerned most with the actual condition of the piano's 'action' (read: all those little moving parts in there) and its soundboard/strings/tuning pins. All THAT stuff is the absolutely most important (read: co$tly) to get redone ifn's you want to actually fully restore it vs. just refinish its case and call it good. Even if its action is (likely) quite worn as would be expected from a 100+yr old machine, and its soundboard wouldn't wanna be cranked back all the way up to its original pitch tension -- there's still a pretty good chance you'll end up with a VERY FUN little 'honky-tonk-pianna' at least for whatever efforts you eventually decide to put into it! <applause> :-) :-) :-)
GOOD LUCK and PLEASE keep us all updated!! <thumbsup>
Well, I've really spent a lot of time researching this piano, and all the different avenues I could dive into, in order to find that something special that I just knew was associated with it. I will provide pictures of this evidence soon, I was just too excited to share it with the class. So, when I opened the top of the piano to find the serial number, I ended up finding a fascinating history behind the bloodline it belonged to. Next to the serial numbers, written with pencil beautifully, this beautiful cursive handwritten information as to at least one of the owners, as well as a place and date. Out of respect for the family, I don't want to reveal the name just yet, until I speak with them and am told it is okay. But the last name said "Adair" with Cape Girardeau, MO. 1936 underneath. About two days later I started digging into the last name, Adair. I'm so glad I did, because I had been told by numerous people that I was wasting my time, and that it was probably just some random person. Well, it turns out it belonged to the grandchild of John Adair, the 8th Governor of Kentucky, who was elected as a delegate to South Carolina's Convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution, acted as Attorney General of the United States in the Cabinet of Thomas Jefferson, but failed to win a full term due to an implication in a treason conspiracy involving then Vice President Aaron Burr, was credited for ensuring and overseeing the Missouri Compromise, among so, so many other things. As I read, names like Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr. Henry Clay, General Sumter, Andrew Jackson, and more became commonplace. This was a man who lived a life often hard to imagine even possible, by todays standards. To say he lead a full life would be a massive understatement. In his honor, Missouri, Kentucky and Iowa all named counties after him. Now, I know its not like this piano belonged to him, but it was purchased by one of his children, most likely for one of his grandchildren. And upon purchase, was placed on a ferry and floated down the river until it reached Cape Girardeau, MO, where the Adair family was waiting to accept delivery. I have reached out to multiple historical societies, as well as direct descendants of John Adair, who happen to still live in the Cape Girardeau area, in an attempt to validate and share the significance of this historical gem. The excitement was shared by many, who were so appreciative of the efforts that I had put forward in rescuing it and then working to piece the puzzle together to tell the story of a bloodline with such cultural significance, that it had its hand in molding what became the United States of America. This is incredible. I know this has been a bit winded.....I'm just really shocked at the outcome, and honestly proud of myself for uncovering (not to toot my own horn.) I just knew there was something special about this piano. If only I, or the previous owner knew! I also contacted him to share my findings. He couldn't believe that such a story could come from the piano that had been sitting in his house for so many years. Again, I know the piano was just purchased by direct descendants, but I'm in awe of the plethora of fascinating information it lead to me discovering. It has only been a week, too. Maybe I will learn of even more interesting facts behind this "Boudoir" piano, from Columbus Ohio Piano Company. Needless to say, I think restoration is a must. Being that I probably cannot afford to have it done correctly, I am considering selling it to someone who can, or donating it to an institution that's fitting. Thank you for accompanying me on this fascinating journey of discovery. I'll be sure to provide any relevant updates as they come.