Hello... hoping somebody can help us out with some information on my grandmother's piano.
As indicated, it's a Valley Gem full size upright (56 inches tall), serial number 59169. The cabinet appears to be mahogany -- the wood looks very similar to our Baldwin parlor grand, which is solid mahogany -- but we're not certain of this.
We'd like to determine the year of manufacture, but Baldwin's serial number database has been off-line for updating, so we've been unable to get information there.
Also, we'd like to know whether anybody can give us a general sense of the potential value of such a piece. A technician who looked it over a few years back said it's got a very good quality sound board that's in perfect condition, and indicated that, in general, these are very good quality instruments. Aside from the "affection" lavished on it by three generations of children, it hasn't been subjected to any extreme conditions -- always in an ordinary household environment, interior walls, low humidity climate (So Calif). It needs all new felt, and probably new hammers and restringing. The iron plate still bears the original decorative painting, and looks brand new. Although quite yellowed, almost all of the original ivory is intact, with only a couple of chips and cracks, and veneers missing from the side of only 2-3 keys.
Obviously, as a family heirloom, sentimental value is impossible to quantify, but wondering if there are any thoughts on whether it's worthy of a restoration?
