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UpInArms

(53,073 posts)

87. I went to an auction in 2006

Mon Jun 9, 2025, 10:16 AM

Jun 9

About 5 hours away from me … in my Volkswagen vanagon with 2 friends … it was an estate of an antique dealer … so much cool stuff …

I had been wanting a piano and the one there was freaking gorgeous … one of my friends sat down and started playing on it and … the sound was astounding … I said “that’s the one!”

I had stepped away to do something because I thought the piano would not sell for a bit and and I was coming back, I heard the auctioneer calling the piano … it was at $12.50 and I started yelling that I had a bid … so the price went to my bid of $15 … no one else bid and I was ecstatic… I got my piano!

When I got to my friends, they said that since I was gone, they had put the $12.50 bid in for me … so I actually bid against myself 🤣

After a long night, we had so much stuff to load into the van, it was overwhelming … but I figured that if I took all of the peripheral things off, the piano could be loaded on its back and slid into the van and we could gently load everything on top of it and still fit the 3 of us into the van.

Left the auction at 11:30 at night (this was before I even had a cellphone) so my hubby was fairly frantic about where I was … got home after 3 in the morning… he was waiting up for me … all I could do was say that I had the most amazing piano in the van (still mostly full of stuff) and went to bed …

The next morning, we went and inspected and saw the serial number … I put it in google … and it said

“How to date your Steinway” … I almost passed out …

It is the most beautiful and amazing piano and my hubby plays it … made of Brazilian rosewood, with elaborate carvings … one of my best treasures ever ❤️

ETA … it took 4 big iowa farm guys to load it, and 8 of us to unload it

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