Information on my Thomas, Woodstock Ontario Canada Organ

[Guest]

I inherited a Thomas, Woodstock Ontario Organ. Serial A73976. Would love to find out more about it. Where it came from, how old it is and what it’s value is today. If anyone can help or point me in the direction of who could help, I would be very great full.

[TSPhillips]

My guess is you have a reed organ, and if that's the case you might find the reed organ forum more helpful than general chat. Unfortunately, none of them are very valuable, even though they are perfectly fine musical instruments and lovely furniture pieces.

Description from the Reed Organ Society Database of the manufacturer:

Woodstock, Ontario. Founded in 1875 by Edward G. Thomas, a member of a large family of organ and piano builders. "Made by British labour in Britain's Premier Colony." James Dunlop became a partner in 1891 and owner in 1895 when the name changed to Thomas Organ & Piano Co. Capacity in 1900: 150 reed organs per month. In the 1920s made the Thomas Orchestral and Symphony reed organs and in the late 1920s produced a portable reed organ. Closed in the 1930s.

Here's a link to a search of the ROS database for Thomas: http://www.reedsoc.org/Database/data...t0=0&B5=Search

Depending on the style and condition it could be worth anywhere from $0-$500. Most of the reed organs you see are what are often called "parlor organs", because they were made as an instrument for the home. Usually these only have 2 sets of reeds, so do not have much variety of sounds. They're value is more in their style and craftsmanship than in their musicality. There are smaller-looking ones called "chapel" style which usually have more features and are often louder, but that's not always the case. The ones with more sets of reeds are more desirable for musicians, but the number of stops on the organ doesn't always accurately indicate how many sets of reeds there are.

[andyg]

Moved to Reed Organs to see if it gets more replies there. Andy - Moderator