[pianotech] help with Baldwin L appraisal value

[Terry Farrell]

Hi John! I might be able to give you a little help. This past spring I  
sold my personal piano, a 1992 Boston GP-178 (5' 10") grand. I think  
the Baldwin L is 6' 4"? My Boston was in absolute showroom condition -  
well, better than showroom because it was finely regulated, etc. and I  
sold it for $9K. I was happy with the sale price because of the poor  
sales market then. I know they were happy with the price because they  
got a good deal on a fabulous piano. When I went to tune it a few  
weeks after the sale, the pastor walked up to me and said (he didn't  
know I was the one who sold it to them) "why did they sell it - it's  
like new?"

With that in mind, your piano is a bit larger, but a few years older,  
and clearly from your description of condition, it's way down the road  
from what mine was. I'd say your estimate of a realistic market value  
is something pretty close to the mark - or maybe even a little less.

Hope this helps.

Terry Farrell


On Feb 1, 2010, at 11:02 PM, John Formsma wrote:

> List,
>
> I'm writing up a market value appraisal for a 1985 satin ebony  
> Baldwin L grand. Would appreciate any input on the following.
>
> It's in reasonably good mechanical condition. No obvious problems,  
> other than what we've come to expect as features on Baldwin grands.
>
> There are some finish issues, which I think might cost up to $800 to  
> repair to look fairly nice. Small chips and some cracking developing  
> on the top of the stretcher.
>
> 1 mm of crown at the longest rib; none elsewhere. Positive bearing.
>
> Bridges OK, some minor checking in places. Sound is typical Baldwin,  
> with sustain of 7 seconds at C6, 3-4 seconds at C7,
>
> Tuning pins tight, as expected. Most steel strings are coated  
> lightly with rust, more at the bass end, less at the treble. All  
> string coils are lightly rusted, except in the very treble section.  
> This is the kind of rust that looks bad, but wouldn't necessarily  
> affect tone or cause string breakage. It looks like it was in a damp  
> environment for a while (comes from Florida originally).
>
> The action is in good condition -- not excessive wear. Would benefit  
> from minor reconditioning (cleaning, polishing key pins, hammer  
> reshaping) and regulation.
>
> According to Larry Fine's depreciation schedule and a 2008-2009  
> price of a new L at $40K, an "Average" Baldwin L would be valued  
> roughly at $13,600. However, with the rust and finish issues, my  
> "gut" tells me a more realistic market value would be somewhere  
> between $7-8.5K.
>
> Input?
>
> -- 
> JF