A very good question and one I’ve pontificated over many a time as a recovering SteamPunk.
For any given mass produced object, there will be some small segment that has particular collector value. But the vast lot of vintage mass produced objects have no value outside what the current owner gives it. The problem is discerning the former from the latter.
A segment of people do not see the distinction (or are not truly aware) of these two groups and so anything built before Year X must be preserved at all cost. So they see the desecration of any vintage good as sacrilege. Alternately, there are those who see anything as Old as being old and therefore rubbish or only fit for parts.
Then there is a third group. Those who see a vintage product of yester year and attempt to ascertain which of the groups the object belongs to and proceed from there.
Truly, my only complaint with the piano in this post is that there was so much more that could be done.
