Appraisals need to be by someone other than furniture appraisers. Get a music appraiser. That makes a big difference. I have a big piano like that and I will get it worked on one of these days (I have researched doing it myself, but most information points me away from making the effort). My mother gave my brother the large upright grand like that that my parents bought when I was a kid. It was the one we learned on, and sounded good. I think he spent something like $6500 to have it restrung and refinished. He can afford it, and he lives in Los Angeles, where everything is probably more expensive. My piano is one that was in my father's family and they probably bought new in about 1880. Original strings mean tuning difficulties and breakage. It needs work. It's an absolutely gorgeous ornate rosewood case, birds-eye maple sounding board, carved case and with the original music stand intact. It's going to be another expensive one to restore. But I think in the end they are worth it. As the saying goes, they don't make them like that any more.

SRS