Pianos, pianos... what the collector's heart has collected and enjoyed with much joy and enthusiasm, usually over years and decades, must at some point be broken up, handed over, passed on, given away.
Sammelleidenschaften „schaffen nicht selten auch Leiden“… bei Angehörigen. Was den Sammlern an Begeisterung und Akribie für Ihre Sammlung gegeben ist, fehlt nicht selten in puncto Fokussierung, Sortierung und Bestandsüberblick. Zudem fällt dem leidenschaftlichen Sammler nichts schwerer, als sich von etwas zu trennen – lieber aufbewahren – es könnte ja noch gebraucht werden.
If everything is still going well, it is all the more difficult to deal with the future of the collection in good time. All too often, this good time is missed and the surviving dependants are left with the difficult task of deciding on the estate. Without an overview, expertise and emotional access to the collection, it is difficult to organise its future and decide what to do with the accumulated assets. The easier part is the part of the collection that is usually loved and cared for - in most cases, there is still a large collection waiting in storage rooms and depots.
From our own painful experiences and accounts, we urgently warn you against professional hucksters and traffickers who offer friendly interest and support via adverts or wanted ads - and then turn out to be unscrupulous scavengers. We have seen all too often how so-called music lovers, antique dealers, valuers, household liquidators, agents, etc. gain access to household liquidations or collections and then simply take the people, most of whom are still in mourning, by surprise. It is important to only approach reputable businesses and professionals and to obtain proof of origin and references. Appointments should not be made alone. Signatures or quick decisions should only be made after consultation with trusted persons.
A private collection - especially if it contains many and varied items - always contains a mixture of valuable rarities, items of average value, almost unsaleable items and, in most cases, items that can only be disposed of.
Wenn Zeit und Möglichkeit besteht, ist der getrennte Verkauf einzelner Objekte oder Objektarten immer der bessere Weg, denn so lassen sich angemessenere Preise erzielen – und sicherstellen, dass die Sammlungsgegenstände in wertschätzende Hände gelangen. Unsere Empfehlung ist daher, statt schnellen Kaufangeboten im Sinne von „wir nehmen alles mit für einen Betrag X auf die Hand“ nachzugeben, eher zunächst eine genauere Prüfung anderer Optionen vorzunehmen.
In addition to the emotional loss and annoyance, this can very quickly result in the loss of great value.
When it comes to piano collections, grand piano collections, upright piano collections, self-player collections and music roll collections, we can offer you our support. As most collections also contain objects from the fields of mechanical musical instruments, photography, speaking machines, literature, etc., we also have some experience in these areas - and, above all, contacts to independent experts.
With appreciation and expertise, we support you professionally in this phase of evaluation, weighing up options and making a decision. Our aim is to be as objective and differentiated as possible and to back up our many years of experience with concrete empirical values, evidence, comparisons and references. We discuss the necessary effort with you in advance and agree on the desired course of action while maintaining all necessary confidentiality. We also have extensive experience and expertise in moderating family discussions and involving all parties. With all these options, it is important to note the stricter legislation on ivory since 19 January 2022, see our article 'Ivory keys on pianos? Beitrag ‚Elfenbeintasten bei Klavieren?‚.
Not every collection still represents a significant economic value when it is liquidated. Sometimes the effort involved in clearing a collection is greater than even the potential collector's value. And it has also happened that the disposal part causes considerable costs. Despite all this, the disposal of keyboard instruments is the very last option for us. As a rule, we still find enthusiasts for almost every object - even if it has to be passed on free of charge. The times when museums gratefully accepted donations are mostly over - the depots of all museums are overflowing.
And of course, as piano dealers and instrument lovers, we also have a potential interest of our own. However, we will discuss this with you in all transparency and make a clear distinction between the commissioning of an expert opinion or assistance with the liquidation of a collection - and a possible purchase interest. In addition, we always recommend obtaining a third expert opinion in order to be able to compare your own assessment, our assessment and another independent assessment.
If you have a collection to liquidate, please contact us and we will agree on the specific procedure. An initial inspection based on photos and available materials as well as an on-site visit will give us an impression of the size and condition of the collection.
We can support you as the collection owner in viewing your treasures in good time and realistically evaluating them with the current market view, sorting and cataloguing them, identifying potential buyers (museums, private collectors, auction houses, private buyers in Germany and abroad...) and making serious contact with them.
If our services incur costs, we discuss this transparently in advance and formulate these in writing for your good decision.
