SAN ANTONIO (AP) - An ornate Steinway piano transported to San Antonio in the 1930s by a railroad tycoon and turned into his hotel's centerpiece will be offered at auction.
The San Antonio Express-News reports the former St. Anthony Hotel piano will be featured Monday at the San Francisco auction house Bonhams.
The catalog describes the piano as a "notable example of exquisite partnering of the finest marquetry inlay and boldly conceived gilt-bronze mounts." The estimated value is up to $80,000.
Steinway & Co. records show the piano was completed in 1924 for an unidentified client. St. Anthony owner and railroad magnate Ralph Morrison purchased it in 1938 for $27,000. The piano was last at the hotel in 1993 before being shipped to California.
A private collector owns the piano.
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