A regular meeting of the Long Island Nassau Chapter, PTG was held on November 11, 2014, at Frank and Camille's Keyboard Center, 229B Glen Cove Road, Carle Place, N.Y. Nine members and three guests were in attendance.

President Slavin called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

It was noted that the annual Holiday Party will be Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The guest speaker for the evening was Gerry Gravina, President of the New York City chapter PTG and owner of Piano Master LLC. The topic for the technical presentation was appraisals of pianos in the field. Gerry recommended taking detailed notes and numerous photos, including a ruler or coin as a reference for the size of any damage, and bringing a Pierce Atlas to ascertain the age of the instrument from the serial number. A very detailed inspection checklist was provided to all the attendees, which the group followed continuously referred during the class. Gerry chose a used grand piano from Frank and Camille's showroom floor as a sample for the full evaluation process. Gerry advised against giving any specific prices or numbers on site during the appraisal, but rather taking time to fully consider the entire piano and giving this information at a later time. We were instructed on how to calculate all the costs that will be involved, the pros and cons of proceeding with any needed work, and how to arrive at the proper suggested selling price (using comparable data from reputable sources, such as dealers, rather than ebay or Craigslist). Finally, Gerry addressed the legality and requirement for filing IRS Form 8283. The technical was very detailed and highly informative. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.