[ Elizabeth wrote to John:]  I have an interested buyer and don't
really know the value of my player piano.  Could you help me out?

 [ John replied:]  My guesstimate, based on pricing in the New Jersey
and tri-state area would be $3500.00 for the player and $450.00 ea. for
the cabinets and rolls.

 [ Elizabeth:]  My mother paid $3500 for piano and all, about 14 years
ago, but I thought it would be worth more than what she paid.  So, I
wanted an expert opinion.

 [ John concludes:]

Hi Elizabeth,  Considering that you enjoyed the instrument for all
these years, a guesstimated value of exactly the same amount as was
paid seems to be strongly in your favor.  Consider for a moment that
most every tangible item looses 50% of it's value as soon as it is
sold, and you get my drift.

Player pianos, unlike fine violins, only get worse as they age, and
therefore become less valuable.  I was told as an apprentice that
player pianos wouldn't become collectible items until the year 2025.
This has proven to be somewhat untrue in the past twenty years, but the
fact remains that any machine wears as it is used and player pianos are
machines.

Musically,
John A. Tuttle