How to tell the age of a piano

Although a few piano owners can tell you the exact age of their piano, many people have no idea how old their piano is. Many others will exaggerate the age of a piano, in the mistaken belief that the older it is, the better it is.

The Best Way to Tell the Age of a Piano

Actually, the vast majority of pianos extant today came out of the factory doors after 1900. The best way to tell the age of a piano is to look up the serial number in factory production records.

In most vertical pianos you can find the number stamped in the front of the pinblock in a small window in the plate under the lid, or stamped outside on one upper back corner. In a grand piano, you can find it stamped into the pinblock under the music desk, or rubber stamped on the plate.

The major reference work for to tell the age of a piano is the Pierce Piano Atlas. Contains serial number information for thousands of brands of pianos manufactured worldwide. That book is a valuable reference on how to tell the age of a piano.