Question: I have a Concord upright cabinet grand piano, serial #22580. I want to sell it but am not sure what to charge. I’ve been researching for a while but can’t seem to get anywhere. Can you help?

Thanks.

– Tim (Youngstown, Ohio, USA)

Albert’s reply: Piano values are based on information such as manufacturer, date and condition, so you’ll need to get a lot of information about your piano. If you don’t know when it was built, there are reference books that contain lists of piano manufacturers and serial numbers which will tell you the date to within a year or so.

A piano’s exterior often tells little about its actual condition. A piano might look impeccable on the outside but conceal a cracked soundboard and worn-out hammers and tuning pins. Similarly, a piano might look to be in poor condition to the naked eye while its inner workings are in perfect condition.

To determine your upright piano’s value you’ll therefore need a professional opinion. I wrote an article on piano appraisal that should be of help to you.

As a first step, I recommend looking at a Blue Book of Pianos and spending $20 or so for an online piano appraisal. This will give you a ballpark estimate of your piano’s value.

From there, you might decide to find a local piano technician or dealer who can make a professional assessment. Such an appraisal will invariably be more accurate because a professional will open up and assess your piano. Furthermore, this will be someone who knows your local market. If it’s a dealer, he or she might decide to display the piano at the showroom and sell it on consignment.

I wrote more in an article titled Antique Piano Value which should also help you out.