How to Determine the Value of an Antique Upright Piano

An antique upright piano is a large and usually wooden musical instrument that can be used to play classical music. However, they can also be used to play rock, blues and other genres of music. While they have lost a little value over time, they are still a desirable investment for any music lover who wants to own an instrument that can serve as a center piece in their home.

An upright piano was invented in 1826 and is still popular today because they are significantly cheaper than grand piano alternatives – and can be a great addition to any home. An antique upright piano is typically worth more than a modern-day piano of the same size, but it can be difficult to determine its value without knowing certain things.

The first thing to look for is whether it is an antique or not. An antique piano is generally one that was made more than 100 years ago and has a long history of use. This means that it has a lot of wear and tear on the internal moving parts and the sound-producing mechanism inside it.

You can often find a good idea of the age of an upright piano by checking out its serial number. This will let you know the age range of that model and whether or not it’s a rare or common piano.

Another way to tell the age of an upright piano is by its manufacturer. A few brands, such as Steinway & Sons, Mason & Hamlin, Baldwin and Knabe are known to have produced some of the best built full-size upright pianos of the era.

A few other manufacturers, such as Seeburg and Kuhn & Ridgeway, were known to produce a small number of upright pianos each year. Some of these instruments were very expensive and made by the finest craftsmen in their industry, but most of them were not.

Other models were more inexpensive and had a lower quality construction. This meant that they were a less-sought after model and therefore were not usually valued by the general piano-buying public.

Many of these old pianos were phased out by the manufacturers, but there are still thousands of them in various states of disrepair throughout the country. It’s likely that some of them still remain in homes because they are simply too big or heavy for most people to move, but they can still be a great addition to any music lover’s home.

Some of these old uprights were fashioned to look as good as they sound. For example, a Napoleon III-style case with marquetry medallions and an embarrassment of gilt bronze covering a case made entirely of fine woods attained EUR12,000 (about $12,000) at Setdart Auction House in March 2021.

The last decade of the 19th century saw some of the finest craftsmanship and quality ever put into piano manufacturing. A Model G, Style 3 full upright piano made by Steinway & Sons sold for $1,000 in 1879 and is still considered an exceptional instrument to own today.