I feel your pain over the piano, and your frustration in trying to
buy it.  The problem is that church property like that is owned by the
congregation, or by the parish or diocese, and whoever was in charge
probably didn't care to go through the process of holding a meeting to
determine if it could be sold and for what price (probably leading to
arguments).

When they _do_ sell something they'll either hold out for the highest
bid or take the first (absurdly low) offer.  My childhood church was
in an old mansion and in the early 1960's the church sold off all the
gas fixtures for the lowest scrap brass price.  Even back then that was
a stupid move.

Harvey Roehl once found a Link orchestrion in a Catholic parish hall
where it had been donated in the 1920s.  He said that the nuns and
priest had to send a petition to the bishop to get permission to sell it.

Eric Stott
Albany, New York