Hi All, Back in May 1997, I wrote, "I feel certain that by the year
2020, the values of all types of 'original' players will increase
dramatically."

https://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/199705/1997.05.08.17.html 

At that time, I was hearing an increasing number of stories about
player pianos that were being either gutted or thrown away.

Then in September 2010, I wrote, "The only revision I would make to
that posting (May 1997) would be to change the year to 2025. By then,
player pianos will have firmly moved from the realm of 'necessity'
to 'novelty', and they will truly be "antiques" instead of merely
collectibles."

https://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201009/2010.09.21.06.html 

Well, here it is April 2022 and the used player piano market has
never been worse. I see ads almost daily for "working" players that
are available of $0.00. I get from one to four phone calls a week from
people who are willing to give their player piano away for free --
just come and get it! I also get one or two calls a month from people
who have purchased a home in which a player piano was left behind by
the previous owner.

What I've come to believe is that the main 'problem' with all of the
early player pianos is their size and weight. As our society continues
to become more upwardly mobile, people just don't want things in their
home that are big and heavy and serve no 'practical' purpose. That's
because they know how difficult and expensive it is to move them.

That being the case, it seems highly likely that my prediction about
prices increasing by 2025 was more like a fairytale than a plausible
possibility.

On a positive note, the good news is that the high quality technicians,
who make their living servicing and rebuilding player pianos, are
constantly busy. I believe that's primarily because the people that
they work for enjoy 'novelties' and can easily afford their services.

Musically,

John A Tuttle
Player-Care
Brick, New Jersey, USA