24
KESTO
IVORY IN MARKET OF
ANTWERP, BELGIUM
Hippopotamus Teeth Not So Valuable as
Were a Few Years Ago.
T
hey
The chief ivory market of the world is in Ant-
werp, where buyers from everywhere assemble four
times a year to attend an auction of this material.
Most of it consists of the tusks of African elephants,
but considerable quantities of hippopotamus teeth
also figure in the sales. The latter, at an auction a
few w^eks ago brought prices all the way from
35 cents to $5 a pound, according to quality.
A century ago hippopotamus ivory was much
more valuable than it is today, because it was the
preferred material for artificial human teeth, being
very dense and hard. George Washington, the
Detroit News records, had a set made of it. But
nowadays much better ones are manufactured of
porcelain by the million.
At the recent auction above mentioned rhinoceros
horns brought $13 a pound. They are ingeniously
carved, mostly for curios. The horn of the rhin-
oceros, by the way, is one of the oddities of nature,
being composed of closely compacted hair.
ACTIVITY NOTED
AT VARIOUS POINTS
Little Items Telling of Activity of Live Ones in
Selling Field.
'"The Home of Quality" is the phrase which fol-
lows the firm name of the H. P. Maus Piano House,
Lima, O.
Special playerpiano demonstrations made the piano
department of the Sutton Music Store, Xenia,' O., a
well-frequented place last week.
"'Music increases the real joy of living," says the
Wilbur Templin Music House, Elkhart, Ind., in ad-
vertising the Packard and Vose piano and players,
this week.
Its willingness to demonstrate any of its player-
pianos is announced in the newspapers by the Krug
September 18, 1920.
Company, Yonkers, N. Y. A fine line of instruments
is the attraction to prospects in the warerooms at
15 Warburton Ave.
"Terms to Suit You" is the inviting phrase used
by Armstrong's, Oklahoma City, Okla.
"Tiffin's Musical Center' is the distinguishing sub-
title adopted by the C. J. Schmidt Piano Co.,
Tiffin, O."
The new manager of the piano plant of Willis &
Co., Ltd., St. Therese, Que., is Albert P. Willis, Jr.,
son of the president of the company.
The Knight-Campbell Music Co., Denver, Colo.,
has issued $250,000 seven per cent preferred stock.
Owen H. Hyer, for many years manager of the
Junius Hart Piano House, New Orleans, recently
resigned.
The Baldwin line is handled in Hopkinsville, Ky.,
by E. H. Melton, who recently purchased the stock
of the Hopkinsville Music Co.
PROVIDES WIDE CHOICE.
The advantage of having many pianos and player-
pianos to choose from is held out as an inducement
to bnvers by Thos. Goggan & Bro., Galveston, Tex.,
who this week say, "Your complete satisfaction is
most fully assured by the unequaled Goggan liii«.
Nowhere eles is ihere a stock affording such oppor-
tunity for selection as this line: Chickering, Em-
erson, Goggan, Haines Bros., Brambach, Foster,
Fairfield, Marshall & Wendell and Angelus and other
pianos. Your ambition to own a piano will not be
discouraged by any undue stringency of our terms."
FEATURES EXCELTONE.
The Exceltone playerpiano, manufactured by the
Chase-Hackley Piano Co., Muskegon, Mich., is hav-
ing a big sale in and around Ft. Smith, Ark., through
the unceasing activities of the Culp Bros.' Piano
Co., Inc., of that city. A continuous demonstration
is one of the requirements of the demands and this
adds to the attractions in the handsome warerooms
at 1104 Garrison street.
Musique et Instruments, Paris, points out Spain
as a good market for actions, etc., and adds: The
Germans who used to be the principal competitors
there are not sending any at present: so there is
only local production to compete with.
INCREASE THE NUMBER
OF YOUR TUNING CLIENTS
A Good Connection in That Respect Is Assurance
of Bigger Sales.
Two excellent bits of advice for retail piano
dealers are "develop your player music roll depart-
ment" and "extend your piano tuning connection."
It seems the obvious course for the piano dealer to
keep track of the piano when he sells it. But accord-
ing to a veteran salesman the obvious fact is disre-
garded in too many instances. It is a case of out of
sight, out of mind.
"When the piano dealer does not follow up the
tuning opportunities afforded by the sales other firms
and unattached tuners eventually get them," said the
veteran dealer alluded to, this week. "The proper
time to catch a tuning client is when he buys the
piano. There may or may not be a period of free
tunings but anyway the best time to catch your tun-
ing client is when he pays the first payment. The
bigger the tuning connection becomes the greater
are the opportunities for new sales."
The veteran salesman suggests an appropriate bit
of advice for the dealer who has the proper appre-
ciation for the tuning connection. It is, "watch o^t
for the interests of your tuning contract clients." He
said that all piano firms were more or less in the
hands ot their tuners and consequently care and
supervision of the work is always necessary.
"A most dangerous type of man is he who, what-
ever his abilities as a tuner may be, presumes on the
innocence of the customers to give them slight serv-
ice," said the veteran salesman. "Inevitably com-
plaints will arise, and inevitably the number of con-
tract clients will drop off. We heard of trouble with
a customer on account of an unreliable tuner. The
customer wrote in as follows:
" 'Your tuner said the piano had stood remarkably
well since last timing and consequently needed very
little attention. Indeed, he said, it seemed a pity to
disturb it. But he forgot that he said the very same
thing at his last visit three months ago. As the piano
is played constantly I have my doubts about the
tuner's diagnosis.' "
Stfatfnfd
T h e
S h a k e s p e a r e
o f /
P h o n o g r a p h s
Pride of Possession
adds materially to the joy and satisfaction one gets from his
phonograph.
THE STRATFORD promotes a rightful pride because of its
beauty; because of its lack of phonograph troubles; because of its
distinct, true, and natural reproduction of the artist or instrument.
Then, f too, with THE STRATFORD, one may enjoy ALL the
world's best music because it plays perfectly ALL records.
It is the instrument you will want; an instrument you will be proud
to own; proud to demonstrate to your friends.
Hear it—you will be delighted.
F^i ~ ~ 7 *•„
Ueaiers
I-A N D ,
We hate an attractive preposition for you.
wnu hr«today.
O M I O
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