Re: Manufacturing Date On A Piano
By Bill Maxim
> As for the manufacturing date of a piano, do you know of any
> other source besides the Piano Atlas? I have a player that was made by
> Chas. T. Orth, S/N 136966. I suspect that this was not a big manufacturer
> since the name is only painted on the surface of the plate rather than
> cast-in. Also painted on are "Milwaukee - New York" and "New Scale".
From what I have observed tuning pianos over the past 40 years, I would doubt that the piano was made by Chas. T. Orth. Being a "stencil piano," i.e. with the name stenciled or painted on the plate rather than cast, it was evidently made by a larger (as indicated by the 6-digit serial number) manufacturer to be sold in a store operated by Chas. T. Orth. Many stores ordered pianos from, among others, Kohler Industries of New York, to sell under the store name.
If the words, "New Scale," are cast into the plate in the upper left and the plate is open around the tuning pins (rather than just holes for individual pins), I would suspect that the piano was made by the Dayton outfit in Dayton, KY. Their players used either Standard or Krell (with pneumatics facing the keyboard) actions.
You mention the date 1 08 19 in the casting. It was common for the foundries to include the date of casting in the mold. If 1919 coincides with data for Dayton Piano Co., you have found your information.
Bill Maxim, RPT
Serving South Carolina from Greer and Columbia
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