How to Determine the Value of Piano?
An antique piano often has a special place in a person’s heart and mind, whether it is an antique piano from a grandparent’s loft or an old piano from a local antique furniture shop. Many people find themselves coming into possession of these antiques as they get passed down to them by the member of family. The best way to find out the real value of your old instrument is to get it assessed by a professional. Before you decide to spend your money you can follow step below. Our guide will give you a sense of whether the piano is valuable or is just a old and inexpensive instrument that will cost you a fortune to bring it back to life. Real enthusiast however will take the time and spend money as once restored most of antique pianos both look and sound beautiful. These pianos represent an important part of our musical heritage and we need to ensure that they will be kept in good shape for the next generations.
We offer the six factors to determine the value of an antique piano:
Piano Age - You have to be careful from the start as many of 60-70 year-old pianos are considered modern. Only pianos that are around 100 years old can be considered antique. The lesson from this is don't pay for an antique before you establish pianos age, as age alone does not make it valuable. Look for pianos made before 1940, or better before or close to 1900. The peak of the pianos you should focus on fells between 1860 and 1900 and the golden age between 1900 and 1940. Those pre-war and inter-war pianos should not be confused with fortepianos, as these very old instruments were made between 1720 and the end of the 1800s and had no metal frame.
Historical value - It is important to mention that every piano have their own history, but only some of them were used by well known people, or were played in famous places, or during important historical events. Ask for this when viewing your piano, as you may discover a real gem. If you piano was played during important events, or by important people its value will be much higher. It is worth to mention that in the 18th and 19th and very early 20th centuries pianos were offered in different quality grade levels. They were good, medium and best. The good grades were usually very basic models, often with only 2 pedals. The medium grades, were larger and offered additional features such as three pedals and custom woodwork. The best grades were rare, expensive and were mainly made for some wealthy families, composers, or opera houses.
Piano condition - Almost every old piano needs a a degree of work. Some due to the bad condition will cost very little, but could be worth much more after full restoration. Check all the edges and paint, press every single key and listen to its sound, also check the pedals and look inside. What do the strings and hammers look like on the inside? Look for construction damage, broken frame, or gaps in the frame joints. If piano was dropped it may never play in tune, without very expensive restoration.
Unique features - Each piano is different even if most of them will have similar features. Some pianos will have additional custom woodwork, logo, or additional information hidden inside, or under the piano. Check the design, if it is common, or unusual. Try to establish what wood has been used to build the piano and what additional materials are making it unique.
The brand name - Most pianos that were made in the last century have gained their value with time. There are however several names that have international recognition and as a result of that have significantly higher value. Those brands are Steinway & Sons, Heintzman & Co, Bösendorfer, Blüthner, Bechstein, Mason and Hamlin, Schimmel, Grotrian Steinweg, Mason & Hamlin, Knabe, Sauter, Petrof, Yamaha, Rubenstein , Estonia and John Broadwood & Sons. Strangely if the piano you would like to buy has not been not mentioned here but it is in very good quality there is a big chance that it may cost you more than the well-known brand. There are many factor, why this can be the case and restoration can be one of the main reasons for it (see the next paragraph).
Restoration - It is very important to establish how the piano was stored, maintained and the level of restoration that was undertaken. It is important to mention that the restoration is not just external cleaning, but replacing hammers, replacing strings, fixing pedals and regular tuning. Some pianos could be fixed by an amateur and original elements replaced with hand made equivalents e.g. 200 years ago, most London pianos had something called a STICKER on the far end of each key that pushes the hammer to strike the string, when broken some people replaced them with a piece of random metal, or wood that would affect the key action, or damage the mechanism.
Piano restoration may include: Refinishing the piano cabinet or case, Polishing brass, Replacing or repairing the soundboard, including finish and decal (when applicable), Voicing, Tuning, Replacing or renewing repetition levers, Repinning and restringing, Bridge repair, Replacing the pinblock, Refinishing the plate, New damper felts with refinished damper heads, Action regulation, Damper regulation, New key bushings, Hammers replacement, shanks, flanges, Restoring keytops, Replacing keytops with new keytops and more...
Sentimental value - There is one more element that is often forgotten. The world of antique and vintage pianos, lives on through the people, who played it, maintained it and loved it for decades. It is dedication of musicians, amateurs, enthusiasts and music lovers who prefer a certain piano over another for produce emotions and a harmonics to replicate human feelings and human soul.
