Old baby grand piano - impossible to get rid of

[BuellerAnyone]

My mum died and left a baby grand piano - but none of us play. I've been trying to sell it on Ebay and to second hand piano dealers but there's no market for them these days. Even though it's a baby grand it still takes up quite a bit of room. Also it's about 110 years old and it's got a bit of wear and tear. I can't even find an auction house that will take it. Any suggestions?

Would any of your local nursing homes appreciate it? Or a community centre perhaps?

I can't really help except to say that we had a piano which was around 100 years old and had been in the family. We called out a tuner who explained kindly that they are mechanisms carrying a massive amount of weight and 80 years is the usable life for a piano that isn't maintained and looked after every day. He very sweetly wouldn't take our money.

We took the metal work out and turned it into a garden piece. Friends gave theirs to the local primary for a playground basher - the kids loved it. You might be able to turn a heritage baby grand into furniture or just keep it for what it means to you.

Sorry, I appreciate this will not be what you want to hear!

My parents had the same problem with an upright. Sadly they don't really have much value at that age and most people don't have the space. You'll probably have more luck giving it away.

Secondary schools. You may need to pay delivery though.

I have it away to a second hand piano retailer. He came and got it for free.

Yep, you may give it away for free, but they're not very desirable unless incredibly well maintained.

Community Centres are always short of storage space. It would be the last thing they'd want.

You can usually have pianos taken away through your local councils bulky waste collection service. They will come out and quote a price first then you can choose to take it up and book it in for removal

We had our old piano removed by a company for £100. No idea what they did with it. Anyway there's really not much market for them I'm afraid.

I hardly play mine but the tuner turns up annually. He says he has to travel huge distances since the unmarried ladies left after the losses of the Second World War have passed on, very few want pianos now. Stuck in my mind.

Rather than selling you are more likely to have to pay to have it taken away. If you would like to keep something from it for sentimental value maybe a local woodworker would turn some of the wood into a nice jewellery box or something for you. Other than you its basically heavy/awkward scrap so not easy to deal with

If only Anita Brookner was still around, I think we'd have found next year's award-winning novel.