Sell An Instrument
We often have clients approach us asking if we buy antique pianos and organs, or if we know the best place to list their antique instrument for sale. This portion of our website is designed to help give you guidance about what you have, what it may be worth, and suggestions about selling & marketing. Our experience shows that the most important factors in successfully selling your antique instrument are becoming an educated seller and knowing how to market your instrument. If you have an instrument for sale, there is likely someone in the market somewhere to buy it.
Upright Piano, Circa 1860 - 1880. Today's Value: $400 - $800 in poor condition, $800 - $3,500 in average to good condition, $10,000 - $15,000 totally restored to factory new condition.
WHAT IS MY INSTRUMENT WORTH?
In creating this website, we realize that there will be some bias toward encouraging folks to invest in restoration and preservation - after all, that is the business we are in. That being said, the following information is based on 20 years of experience in this business and it reflects what we see happening in the real market today. This information is meant to help educate, and it isn't meant to insult or offend anyone who has a differing opinion about the value of ther heirloom instrument.
Antique pianos and organs can be valued
Upright Piano, Circa 1880 - 1900. Today's Value: $200 - $600 in poor condition, $800 - $3,000 in average to good condition, $9,000 - $13,000 totally restored to factory new condition.
anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. It is important that sellers realize the real value
Grand Piano, Circa 1860 - 1880. Today's Value: $1,500 - $2,500 in poor condition, $3,500 - $7,500 in average to good original condition, $20,000 - $40,000 totally restored to like-new condition.
difference between a restored instrument and an unrestored instrument. Sadly, we see original, unrestored antique instruments selling for only a fraction of their potential restored value. Although we do not offer official appraisals, we have provided some information here to help you undertand the current and potential value of your instrument a bit better.
Grand Piano Circa 1880 - 1900. Today's Value: $1,500 - $2,500 in poor condition, $3,500 - $6,500 in average to good original condition. $18,000 - $35,000 totally restored to like-new condition.
Pictured here are a few examples of antique pianos and organs that were popular during the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Each photograph represents a particular era and style, and is labeled with some very general value information. By comparing these photographs to your instrument, you may be able to get a better idea about the general value of your instrument in poor, average and restored condition. Hopefully this information will offer some guideline to value depending on your instruments condition, etc.
And of course, premier brand names and important historical provenance can add to an instrument's value in any condition.
SELLING & MARKETING YOUR INSTRUMENT:
Upright Piano, Circa 1900 - 1915. Today's Value: $100 - $400 in poor condition, $600 - $2,500 in average to good condition. $9,000 - $12,000 totally restored to factory-new condition.
Our experience shows that the single most important factor in selling your antique instrument is marketing. If you have an instrument for sale, there is likely someone in the market somewhere to buy it. The key is finding that match between buyer and seller.
The biggest problem that most people seem to face is not having enough knowledge about their instrument to market it effectively and price it accurately. There is a great deal of criteria one has to consider when determining the value of an antique instrument such as age, brand name, condition, etc., and an evaluation by a professional is usually necessary.
RESTORED VALUE VERSUS UNRESTORED VALUE:
Grand Piano, Circa 1900 - 1915. Today's Value: $500 - $1,500 in poor condition, $2,500 - $5,500 in average to good condition, $15,000 - $30,000 totally restored to factory new condition.
Pianos and organs are not like most antique furniture. They are functional and complex pieces of machinery like vintage automobiles. When an antique piano or organ is in original, unrestored condition and is not able to function perfectly, it tends to sell for only a fraction of its potential value.
Restoration is not cheap, but it is necessary to make any instrument worth top dollar. If your instrument was an antique automobile sitting on blocks, full of rust and ruining due to neglect, you
Upright Piano, Circa 1915 - 1930. Today's Value: $100 - $300 in poor condition, $500 - $2,500 in average to good condition, $8,000 - $10,000 totally restored to factory new condition.
wouldn't expect it to fetch a very high price. If you invested in having the automobile restored to make it a show car, you could then expect it to sell for a tidy sum - likely at a nice profit after your investment. Pianos and organs are the same way. Restored instruments sell for high dollars - original, unrestored instruments simply do not.
Over the past two decades, we have seen the value of antique pianos and organs nearly double across the board. Much of the credit goes to education - folks are now able to go to the internet and learn about what they have, often encouraged to invest and preserve their instruments. The best way to get a general sense of what instruments are worth (after restoration) is by comparing
Grand & Baby Grand Pianos, Circa 1915 - 1935. Today's Value: $500 - $1,000 in poor condition, $1,500 - $5,000 in average to good original condition, $13,000 - $20,000 totally restored to like-new condition.
them against what similar instruments are selling for in the real market. It may be helpful if you go to our online showroom gallery at this link: http://www.antiquepianoshop.com/products/. Here you can see what different types and styles of instruments have been selling for over the past few years.
WHAT DOES 'RESTORED' REALLY MEAN?
Player Piano, Circa 1905 - 1930. Today's Value: $200 - $800 in poor condition, $1,200 - $2,500 in good, non-functional condition. $3,500 - $6,500 in functional condition, $11,000 - $15,000 in restored, like new condition.
There is often confusion to what constitutes a fully restored piano or organ. More often than not, instruments that have been cleaned and serviced are perceived by their owners as having been "completely restored" when in reality the instruments are far from restored condition. The term "restored" refers to professional internal and professional external restoration and rebuilding, not just cabinet refinishing and internal cleaning, etc. Many people think that because grandma refinished their piano or organ in the garage 10 years ago that the instrument is "restored" and worth a fortune - not true. In fact, a non-professional
Spinet Piano, Circa 1935 - 1965. Pianos built after about 1935 are generally newer than the instruments we specialize in. We suggest you contact your local piano tuner for value information about them.
refinishing job will usually reduce the value of an instrument, much like a poor quality paint job on an automobile. Like the antique automobile, piano/organ restoration includes professional rebuilding of the internal mechanisms as well as the cosmetics and finish.
WHERE CAN I LIST MY ANTIQUE INSTRUMENT FOR SALE?
The most common way people sell their piano or organ is through traditional online methods like eBay or Craig's List. Unfortunately, most buyers on eBay or Craig's List are looking to find "something for nothing", and most sellers end up selling their instruments for
Square Grand Piano, Circa 1845 - 1885. Today's Value: $500 - $1,500 in poor condition, $2,500 - $5,500 in average to good condition, $20,000 - $30,000 totally restored to factory new condition.
next to nothing on these websites out of frustration. If you are looking for a way to sell your instrument quickly and cheaply, eBay or Craig's List are probably your best options. If your desire is to become an educated seller and get the most value you can from your instrument, then you might consider alternative methods such as consignment placement in upscale antique stores or boutiques, consignment with a piano dealer, or advertising your instrument on more specialized antiques-related websites that cater to an upscale buyer.
CAN I LIST MY ANTIQUE INSTRUMENT FOR SALE ON THIS WEBSITE?
Our primary business is restoring pianos and organs for clients all over the country and selling instruments that we have restored from our own inventory. We no longer offer general classified advertising space on our website for third party instruments. We only list third party instruments on our website for sale when they have been sent to us to be restored for the purpose of being sold for top dollar.
Victorian Pump Organ, Circa 1865 - 1905. Today's Value: $500 - $1,000 in poor condition, $2,500 - $3,500 in average to good condition, $6,500 - $8,500 totally restored to factory new condition.
SHOULD I RESTORE MY ANTIQUE INSTRUMENT BEFORE I ATTEMPT TO SELL IT?
Nearly all of our clients send their instruments to us to be restored so that they can be kept in the family and passed down to future generations. However, we do have a handful of clients who choose to send their pianos and organs to us to be restored so that they can be sold for top dollar through our website. Since a fully restored instrument commands a premium sale price, sellers can generally make a much greater profit after investing in having an instrument restored.
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The way this service works is this:
- A customer sends their piano for restoration and pays their initial deposit up front. (We generally charge a 50% deposit up front for restoration services, with the balance being due on completion of the restoration project).
Melodeon, Circa 1845 - 1875. Today's Value: $800 - $1,500 in poor condition, $2,500 - $4,500 in average to good condition, $6,500 - $8,500 totally restored to factory new condition.
- We market the piano on our website for sale while the piano is undergoing restoration, which could take up to a year to complete.
- When a buyer is found, the restoration balance can be paid from the sale proceeds. If a buyer is not found, the customer is responsible for the restoration balance. Although finding a buyer is likely, we cannot guarantee that a buyer will be found for every instrument.
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RESTORE YOUR INSTRUMENT: For information about having your antique instrument restored, please visit the RESTORATION SERVICES page on our website at this link: http://www.antiquepianoshop.com/restoration-services/
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SELL YOUR PIANO OR ORGAN: If you have an antique instrument you would like to sell "AS IS" without restoration, please submit the requested information below and we will be glad to review it. Please note that it is impossible for our limited staff to answer each SELL YOUR PIANO request personally. If we are not interested in purchasing your instrument, we will keep your information and photos on file and pass them along to our network of potential buyers, dealers and collectors.