Presto
Issue: 1920 1745 - Page 21
January 1, 1920.
LARGE EXPORTS OF
GERMAN PIANOS
Statistics Have Been Compiled to Show to
What Extent German Instruments Have
Heretofore Been Sold Through-
out the World.
Reports have been published in some of the trade
papers in the United States and in foreign countries
that the Germans had in the neighborhood of 40,000
pianos that were to be dumped on the world's mar-
kets at cut prices, one report stating that during the
war Germany had not allowed new pianos to be sold
in Germany, and that the German Government is to
subsidize the piano industry to the extent of saving
it from loss.
The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
has received no specific reports that will permit a
confirmation or denial of this report, but the statis-
tics of German trade had been compiled in order to
indicate the markets that bought German pianos be-
fore the war. It should be noted that as early as the
end of 1917 a serious shortage of furniture was re-
ported as the result of the conversion of factories
to war uses, shortage of material, and inadequate
labor supply and that Germany is entirely dependent
upon foreign sources for its supply of cabinet woods.
Destination of Exports.
A table of German piano exports for the year 1913
shows that instruments were sent to every civilized
country on the face of the earth, from Algeria to
Venezuela. The countries taking the larger num-
bers of German pianos were as follows: Australia,
11,462; Argentina, 4,266; British South Africa, 3,027;
Denmark. 3,001; Italy., 4,138; Netherlands, 4,533;
Russia, 4,934; United Kingdom, 21,690. The table
shows that German pianos and parts of pianos were
shipped to 44 countries. The number of German
pianos sent to the United States in 1913 was 115, but
it is shown also that there were also 1,831,582 piano
parts or supplies sent to this country.
The German statistics do not show the value of
pianos separate from the value of the parts, and
where parts and pianos are both shipped to the same
country the statistics give no idea regarding the
relative value of each. The valuations given are
PRESTO
actual values at the frontier. The German export
statistics give values to the nearest thousand. For
this reason no value is shown in the statistics for
one piano shipped to Spanish Africa, as the value
of this instrument was less than 500 marks. All
conversions of value have been made at $0,238 for
the mark, as there was little fluctuation in the value
of the mark in 1913.
Of the 76,460 pianos exported, the United King-
dom took 21,690, or 28.4 per cent, and Australia 13,-
462, or 15 per cent, the next best customer being
Russia, which took only 4,931, or 6 l / 2 per cent. Of
the parts, the United States took 1,831,582 pounds,
or 78.8 per cent, the next best customer being the
United Kingdom with 154,763 pounds, or 6.7 per cent.
It is interesting to note the different positions of the
United States and the United Kingdom in the Ger-
man piano trade. In 1913 there were exported to
the United States only 115 pianos—less than 1 per
cent of the total—and 1,831,582 pounds of parts, or
78.8 per cent of the total. The United Kingdom, on
the other hand, took 21,690 pianos, or 28.4 per cent,
while there were shipped to that country only 154,-
763 pounds of parts, or 6.7 per cent of the foreign
sales.
Exports of Actions, Keyboards and Hammers.
The exports in 1913 of mechanisms, keyboards
and hammers show a valuation of $1,165,962. In the
trade in mechanisms, keyboards and hammers the
United Kingdom was the best customer, taking
2,106,495 pounds, valued at $557,158, or 60.9 per cent
in quantity and 47.8 per cent in value. The next
best customer was Russia, which took 386,466
pounds, valued at $195,160, or 11.2 per cent in quan-
tity and 16.7 per cent in value. The United States
took only 2,205 pounds, valued at $2,142, or less than
1 per cent of the exports both in quantity and value.
STEINWAY IN THE SOUTH.
The Steinway is the leader in the line of Walker
D. Moses & Co., Raleigh, N. C, and a Steinway
grand was loaned by the company recently for the
concert given by John McCormack, the famous tenor
at the Auditorium. In announcing the fact in the
newspapers the company said: "The Steinway piano
is acknowledged and endorsed by many of the great-
est musicians and singers as the world's best piano.
The Steinway stands far and away ahead on the con-
cert stage, in the studio and in the home. Why not
give the home a Steinway. The Steinway is sold in
Virginia and North Carolina only by us."
AN INTERESTING COMPARISON
SALES OF IVORY AT ANTWERP
WAS SURPRISINGLY LARGE
Regular Annual Selling Has Begun Again and the
Supply Is Increasing.
The quarterly ivory sale at Antwerp was held on
November 5 and 6, writes Consul George S. Messer-
smith from Antwerp. The quantities sold comprised
45,643 kilos of hard Kongo ivory, 5,563 kilos of soft
Kongo, 34,478 kilos of Angola, and 3,698 kilos of
Central African, making a total of 89,382 kilos as
against 46,000 kilos in 1918.
The results of the sale exceeded by far the ex-
pectations of those most optimistic after the English
sales of October 21 and 28, where the prices rose
from £25 to £40 per hundredweight at Liverpool
for the 17 tons sold, and from £15 to £25 per hun-
dredweight at London for the 20 tons offered.
The attendance at the sale was exceptionally large
and the bidding very lively. The prices realized
reached levels unknown before and the increase was
about 100 per cent for large teeth, the good lots
selling for 125 to 155 francs a kilo (2.2 pounds). For
bangle, balls, and scrivalloes the increase was about
60 to 80 per cent.
The stock in hand is almost 22,000 kilos, as against
7,000 kilos in 1918, 56,000 kilos in 1917, 120,000 kilos
in 1916, 100,000 kilos in 1915, 160,000 kilos in 1914.
HERE'S A STORY OF SUCCESS
AGAINST GREAT DIFFICULTIES
Michigan Piano Dealer Who, on His Partner's
Capital, Made Good.
This is a story of the success of a dealer in a city
of some 50,000 inhabitants in the great state' of Mich-
igan. Some twelve years ago this man started in the
piano business with another man on a fifty-fifty basis
of profit—the other man furnishing the capital and
our hero furnishing the experience and conducting
the store.
The hero could tune and sell—he knew both
branches thoroughly; hence the faith of his partner
in staking him with cash. He started his store small,
and today he is worth about $50,000, with every bill
paid.
He never has taken a note for longer than four
months' time; even in the early days when it was
hard to sell pianos without giving an "eternity" of
credit. He never has renewed a note, and has oper-
ated always on a one-price basis.
This successful man has repossessed but two
pianos in his whole career of twelve years in busi-
ness.
When it is considered that he started in the worst
time in the history of the piano trade—a time when
fakes flourished, a time when coupons and guessing
contests were in their prime, a time when pianos
were set in the homes on "trial," when a dollar down
or no payment down was the rule rather than the
exception—his success is the more wonderful. And
when is added the information that he always got
good prices, he always sold at a margin of profit,
his career is the more remarkable. His method is
an example to piano dealers today, especially to
beginners.
CHANGE IN CONSULAR SERVICE.
In accordance with the recommendation of the
Cave Committee the administration of the Consular
Department of the Foreign Office has now been
transferred to the Department of Overseas Trade,
which already administers the Commercial Diplo-
matic Service. The staff of the Consular Depart-
ment will for the time being remain at the Foreign
Office, but in all matters relating to the Consular
Service will report to the Secretary of State through
the Comptroller-General and the Secretary of the
Department of Overseas Trade. Arrangements are
also being made to transfer to the Department of
Overseas Trade such work hitherto done by tr&
Commercial Department of the Foregn Office as
is not primarily political in character.
ADVICE TO PARENTS.
Artistic taste and decidedly clever merchandising
skill was shown by the Golden Rule Piano Co. of
St. Paul. Minn., in a recent window display fea-
turing the Francis Bacon baby grand piano. As
shown in the accompanying cut the display featured
the little Bacon grand by comparison to its dis-
tinctive forefather, the venerable Astor spinet. This
old spinet—the patriarch of the piano famliy in
America—is one of the cherished possessions of
the Bacon family and has come down through suc-
ceeding generations showing by comparison how
the manufacture of pianos has developed in America
from the comparatively crude instrument of 1879
to the luxuriant piano of today. The Francis Bacon
piano, with its historic ancestry, lends itself remark-
ably well to window display. The though "the old
and the new" used in this display always finds appeal
with the public.
The Golden Rule Piano Co., acting as distributor
for the entire Bacon line, plans a wide use of adver-
tising in connection with this well known piano.
The company will make the development of the
Bacon piano the topic of an interesting series of
newspaper advertisement.
The joy of living is what every normal parent
wants the children to have. But in addition to com-
fort and education there is something else the Ca-
ble-Shelby-Burton Piano Co., Birmingham, Ala.,
says children should be equipped with, and that is
"a recourse within themselves whereby they may
extract the joy out of life—may obtain pleasure
from money—may still obtain pleasure if they lose
their money. Teach your son and your daughter to
love music by making them familiar with it when
they are young and you will give them a friend
which they will treasure more and more ,as tne
years go by."
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
LARGE EXPORTS OF
GERMAN PIANOS
Statistics Have Been Compiled to Show to
What Extent German Instruments Have
Heretofore Been Sold Through-
out the World.
Reports have been published in some of the trade
papers in the United States and in foreign countries
that the Germans had in the neighborhood of 40,000
pianos that were to be dumped on the world's mar-
kets at cut prices, one report stating that during the
war Germany had not allowed new pianos to be sold
in Germany, and that the German Government is to
subsidize the piano industry to the extent of saving
it from loss.
The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
has received no specific reports that will permit a
confirmation or denial of this report, but the statis-
tics of German trade had been compiled in order to
indicate the markets that bought German pianos be-
fore the war. It should be noted that as early as the
end of 1917 a serious shortage of furniture was re-
ported as the result of the conversion of factories
to war uses, shortage of material, and inadequate
labor supply and that Germany is entirely dependent
upon foreign sources for its supply of cabinet woods.
Destination of Exports.
A table of German piano exports for the year 1913
shows that instruments were sent to every civilized
country on the face of the earth, from Algeria to
Venezuela. The countries taking the larger num-
bers of German pianos were as follows: Australia,
11,462; Argentina, 4,266; British South Africa, 3,027;
Denmark. 3,001; Italy., 4,138; Netherlands, 4,533;
Russia, 4,934; United Kingdom, 21,690. The table
shows that German pianos and parts of pianos were
shipped to 44 countries. The number of German
pianos sent to the United States in 1913 was 115, but
it is shown also that there were also 1,831,582 piano
parts or supplies sent to this country.
The German statistics do not show the value of
pianos separate from the value of the parts, and
where parts and pianos are both shipped to the same
country the statistics give no idea regarding the
relative value of each. The valuations given are
PRESTO
actual values at the frontier. The German export
statistics give values to the nearest thousand. For
this reason no value is shown in the statistics for
one piano shipped to Spanish Africa, as the value
of this instrument was less than 500 marks. All
conversions of value have been made at $0,238 for
the mark, as there was little fluctuation in the value
of the mark in 1913.
Of the 76,460 pianos exported, the United King-
dom took 21,690, or 28.4 per cent, and Australia 13,-
462, or 15 per cent, the next best customer being
Russia, which took only 4,931, or 6 l / 2 per cent. Of
the parts, the United States took 1,831,582 pounds,
or 78.8 per cent, the next best customer being the
United Kingdom with 154,763 pounds, or 6.7 per cent.
It is interesting to note the different positions of the
United States and the United Kingdom in the Ger-
man piano trade. In 1913 there were exported to
the United States only 115 pianos—less than 1 per
cent of the total—and 1,831,582 pounds of parts, or
78.8 per cent of the total. The United Kingdom, on
the other hand, took 21,690 pianos, or 28.4 per cent,
while there were shipped to that country only 154,-
763 pounds of parts, or 6.7 per cent of the foreign
sales.
Exports of Actions, Keyboards and Hammers.
The exports in 1913 of mechanisms, keyboards
and hammers show a valuation of $1,165,962. In the
trade in mechanisms, keyboards and hammers the
United Kingdom was the best customer, taking
2,106,495 pounds, valued at $557,158, or 60.9 per cent
in quantity and 47.8 per cent in value. The next
best customer was Russia, which took 386,466
pounds, valued at $195,160, or 11.2 per cent in quan-
tity and 16.7 per cent in value. The United States
took only 2,205 pounds, valued at $2,142, or less than
1 per cent of the exports both in quantity and value.
STEINWAY IN THE SOUTH.
The Steinway is the leader in the line of Walker
D. Moses & Co., Raleigh, N. C, and a Steinway
grand was loaned by the company recently for the
concert given by John McCormack, the famous tenor
at the Auditorium. In announcing the fact in the
newspapers the company said: "The Steinway piano
is acknowledged and endorsed by many of the great-
est musicians and singers as the world's best piano.
The Steinway stands far and away ahead on the con-
cert stage, in the studio and in the home. Why not
give the home a Steinway. The Steinway is sold in
Virginia and North Carolina only by us."
AN INTERESTING COMPARISON
SALES OF IVORY AT ANTWERP
WAS SURPRISINGLY LARGE
Regular Annual Selling Has Begun Again and the
Supply Is Increasing.
The quarterly ivory sale at Antwerp was held on
November 5 and 6, writes Consul George S. Messer-
smith from Antwerp. The quantities sold comprised
45,643 kilos of hard Kongo ivory, 5,563 kilos of soft
Kongo, 34,478 kilos of Angola, and 3,698 kilos of
Central African, making a total of 89,382 kilos as
against 46,000 kilos in 1918.
The results of the sale exceeded by far the ex-
pectations of those most optimistic after the English
sales of October 21 and 28, where the prices rose
from £25 to £40 per hundredweight at Liverpool
for the 17 tons sold, and from £15 to £25 per hun-
dredweight at London for the 20 tons offered.
The attendance at the sale was exceptionally large
and the bidding very lively. The prices realized
reached levels unknown before and the increase was
about 100 per cent for large teeth, the good lots
selling for 125 to 155 francs a kilo (2.2 pounds). For
bangle, balls, and scrivalloes the increase was about
60 to 80 per cent.
The stock in hand is almost 22,000 kilos, as against
7,000 kilos in 1918, 56,000 kilos in 1917, 120,000 kilos
in 1916, 100,000 kilos in 1915, 160,000 kilos in 1914.
HERE'S A STORY OF SUCCESS
AGAINST GREAT DIFFICULTIES
Michigan Piano Dealer Who, on His Partner's
Capital, Made Good.
This is a story of the success of a dealer in a city
of some 50,000 inhabitants in the great state' of Mich-
igan. Some twelve years ago this man started in the
piano business with another man on a fifty-fifty basis
of profit—the other man furnishing the capital and
our hero furnishing the experience and conducting
the store.
The hero could tune and sell—he knew both
branches thoroughly; hence the faith of his partner
in staking him with cash. He started his store small,
and today he is worth about $50,000, with every bill
paid.
He never has taken a note for longer than four
months' time; even in the early days when it was
hard to sell pianos without giving an "eternity" of
credit. He never has renewed a note, and has oper-
ated always on a one-price basis.
This successful man has repossessed but two
pianos in his whole career of twelve years in busi-
ness.
When it is considered that he started in the worst
time in the history of the piano trade—a time when
fakes flourished, a time when coupons and guessing
contests were in their prime, a time when pianos
were set in the homes on "trial," when a dollar down
or no payment down was the rule rather than the
exception—his success is the more wonderful. And
when is added the information that he always got
good prices, he always sold at a margin of profit,
his career is the more remarkable. His method is
an example to piano dealers today, especially to
beginners.
CHANGE IN CONSULAR SERVICE.
In accordance with the recommendation of the
Cave Committee the administration of the Consular
Department of the Foreign Office has now been
transferred to the Department of Overseas Trade,
which already administers the Commercial Diplo-
matic Service. The staff of the Consular Depart-
ment will for the time being remain at the Foreign
Office, but in all matters relating to the Consular
Service will report to the Secretary of State through
the Comptroller-General and the Secretary of the
Department of Overseas Trade. Arrangements are
also being made to transfer to the Department of
Overseas Trade such work hitherto done by tr&
Commercial Department of the Foregn Office as
is not primarily political in character.
ADVICE TO PARENTS.
Artistic taste and decidedly clever merchandising
skill was shown by the Golden Rule Piano Co. of
St. Paul. Minn., in a recent window display fea-
turing the Francis Bacon baby grand piano. As
shown in the accompanying cut the display featured
the little Bacon grand by comparison to its dis-
tinctive forefather, the venerable Astor spinet. This
old spinet—the patriarch of the piano famliy in
America—is one of the cherished possessions of
the Bacon family and has come down through suc-
ceeding generations showing by comparison how
the manufacture of pianos has developed in America
from the comparatively crude instrument of 1879
to the luxuriant piano of today. The Francis Bacon
piano, with its historic ancestry, lends itself remark-
ably well to window display. The though "the old
and the new" used in this display always finds appeal
with the public.
The Golden Rule Piano Co., acting as distributor
for the entire Bacon line, plans a wide use of adver-
tising in connection with this well known piano.
The company will make the development of the
Bacon piano the topic of an interesting series of
newspaper advertisement.
The joy of living is what every normal parent
wants the children to have. But in addition to com-
fort and education there is something else the Ca-
ble-Shelby-Burton Piano Co., Birmingham, Ala.,
says children should be equipped with, and that is
"a recourse within themselves whereby they may
extract the joy out of life—may obtain pleasure
from money—may still obtain pleasure if they lose
their money. Teach your son and your daughter to
love music by making them familiar with it when
they are young and you will give them a friend
which they will treasure more and more ,as tne
years go by."
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).