Thursday 14 October 2021

Schiedmayer & Soehne Serial Nos.

 

Year

Serial No.

Year

Serial No.

1900

20005

1948

51900

1910

28611

1949

52950

1915

33486

1950

53100

1920

35321

1952

53185

1925

40130

1961

54135

1926

41567

1966

54605

1927

42261

1967

54705

1928

43372

1968

54800

1929

44237

1969

124600

1930

45037

1970

124870

1931

45326

1971

125165

1932

45528

1972

125460

1933

45712

1975

126130

1934

45806

1978

126420

1935

46017

1980

126640

1938

47200

1981

126801

1940

49600

1982

126901

1943

51700

1983

126960


These serial numbers can be used only as a reference point.
An Exact date does not make a material difference to an assessment of a piano - a year or so out 120 years ago really is neither here more there.

The idea that 100% accuracy for all piano makers over a century ago is an interesting thought - but considering that all record keeping would be hand-written and kept in large ledger books, inaccuracies are likely. These records will be as reliable as the clerks whose job it was to keep them. The digital age of barcodes and scanned labels was still in the realm of science fiction. So we have to be content with our best guess numbers.

Back to the Piano Atlas

Schiedmayer, J & P, Serial Nos

 

Year

Serial No.

Year

Serial No.

1900

31000

1935

62101

1906

36700

1936

62335

1910

43000

1937

62641

1915

49500

1938

62863

1920

51800

1939

63108

1925

55600

1940

64000

1926

56700

1950

64200

1927

57600

1952

64800

1928

58700

1955

65555

1929

59600

1958

66405

1930

60200

1960

67005

1931

60800

1962

67205

1932

61200

1966

68905

1933

61600

1969

69623

1934

62000



These serial numbers can be used only as a reference point.
An Exact date does not make a material difference to an assessment of a piano - a year or so out 120 years ago really is neither here more there.

The idea that 100% accuracy for all piano makers over a century ago is an interesting thought - but considering that all record keeping would be hand-written and kept in large ledger books, inaccuracies are likely. These records will be as reliable as the clerks whose job it was to keep them. The digital age of barcodes and scanned labels was still in the realm of science fiction. So we have to be content with our best guess numbers.

Back to the Piano Atlas

Monday 11 October 2021

Petrof Pianos

Antonin Petrof studied the art of piano making with his uncle, Jan Heitzmann in Vienna. Returning to Bohemia in 1864 established the Petrof Piano Company and began building pianos. The following year his father’s joinery behind the Cathedral of Svaty Duch was repurposed to make it more suited to building pianos.

In 1874 Petrof pianos moved to larger facilities for manufacturing operations, eventually producing their own keyboards and actions. Business was steadily gathering momentum so that in 1894, they began exporting their pianos abroad, and were able to set up a service centre and warehouse in Vienna.  

AntonĂ­n Petrof was appointed in 1899 to be the court piano maker of Austria-Hungary. The growth of the business continue over the next 20 years so that Petrof expanded their foreign sales - selling to Japan, China, Australia and South America.
1928, Petrof together with the American company Steinway opened a subsidiary in London. When Petrof pianos won the gold medal at the World Exhibition 1934 in Brussels, the Petrof factory employed about 400 people. 

The 100,000th Petrof piano was produced in 1963 and has their research centre for continued scientific development. After a period of state ownership the company was privatised in 1998 and was returned to family control in 2001. 



©Steve Burden