Hi, Dave,
The number you found was the case number, which is usually found on Chickerings in a number of places, unlike the serial number, which was only put in one place, until some point in the 20th century. For over 50 years Chickering used both a case number and a serial number; the case number was immediately given upon inception of casemaking, while the serial number (sometimes called the shipping number) was not given until completion. I've wondered how far back this practice goes, possibly much earlier in England? At any rate, later Mason and Hamlin took up the practice too, except that Chickering recycled the case numbers and kept them in the 4 digit range usually, while Mason and Hamlin never recycled their case numbers, which were only a few hundred to a couple thousand different, creating great confusion and potential mis-identification.
Mason and Hamlin log books include BOTH numbers. We have never uncovered any log books for Chickering which have the case numbers (though I still hope they will turn up). We HAVE found this for Knabe....as well as a book matching case numbers with serial numbers.
For many years (at least 1860s through 1890s), the Chickering serial number was placed inside the soundboard decal. Only. If it's not there, hope someone wrote it elsewhere on the piano. Later it went on the plate. I'll attach a couple of Chickering 121 photos of a piano we had in the shop a couple years ago. I've succeeded many times in uncovering the serial number, if I know where it was to begin with (last week I gave my apprentice the job, and knowing exactly where to sand, I think he really got a kick out of uncovering the Knabe grand serial number from under the repaint on the plate!).
On an aside, at some point the Chickering concert grands received serial numbers which looked like case numbers, eventually climbing up through 5 digits. Unfortunately I haven't found any books for them, either.
However, I have taken jpgs of the microfilm of the serial number books at the Smithsonian, and now the Period Piano Center has a board member who owns a set, as well, so they are currently on loan to Period Piano Center. We hope to obtain a film strip digital scanner and find the resources to get the images scanned digitally. Unfortunately, as I said, there are no case number entries. But all Chickering pianos are in the log books, even if we can't currently match things up.... :)
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Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.
President, Shull Piano, Period Piano Center
bdshull@aol.com www.shullpiano.com www.periodpianocenter.org Loma Linda, CA
909 796-4226
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2013 18:58
From: Dave Foster
Subject: Old Chickering baby grand
I did an inspection on this old mahogany Chickering grand today, and I couldn't find a serial number. The only numbers I found were punched into the bottom-side of the keybed next to the lyre AND the same numbers punched into the lyre. The numbers were 2313. According to Pierce, IF that is the serial number, would put it 1840. And this piano... is NOT from 1840.
I'm aware that, most likely, the original serial number got covered up or completely left off. I've included a picture.
Maybe someone can give me a good estimate for a time frame when this was made.
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Dave Foster
Foster Piano Technology
Waterford MI
248-431-8804
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