I can’t count how many times people have asked me if antique pianos are worth a lot of money. A piano must function well as a musical instrument, have a good sound, and an action that is comfortable to play. So many so called,” antique pianos”, have cracked sounboards, cracked pin blocks, notes that don’t play due to a myriad of action problems including and not limited to worn hammers, tight action bushings, broken jacks, worn felt, and the list goes on.

Typically there are many pianos still around that are 75 to a 100 years old that have not been taken care of. It’s rare to find a piano that old that is still playable. I just went on a service call this week, it was a Chickering & Sons Quarter-Grand Circa 1901. Unfortunatly, I wasn’t able to tune this magnificent antigue piano. The bass section had many loose tuning pins and the strings sounded like rubber bands. When I tried to put tension on the strings they wouldn’t hold. This piano was totally useless as a musical instrument and wasn’t worth the $400 dollars she paid for it, what a shame!

Genarally speaking, the only antique pianos that a worth a lot of money are unusual pianos, such as square grands, all Steinways, regardless of condition, and museum pieces.

The Moral of the story is: if you are looking to buy a piano and you’re not sure what it’s worth, contact a professional, and pay him what he is worth, you’ll save a lot of money in the long run!