Quality

“Best brands” include Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, and the very best European makes, such as Bechstein, Blüthner, and Bösendorfer. “Better brands” include the well-regarded older names mentioned in the accompanying article for the pre-1930 period, such as Knabe and Chickering; and names such as Baldwin, Everett, Kawai, Sohmer, Yamaha, and others of similar quality for the 1950–1980 period. “Average brands” are pretty much everything else.

Condition

Worse, Average, and Better refer to the condition of the piano in comparison to the amount of wear and tear one would expect from the piano’s age. However, even Worse pianos should be playable and serviceable. Note that because many buyers are quite conscious of a piano’s appearance, pianos that are in good shape musically but in poor shape cosmetically will often sell at a price more consistent with the Worse range than with a higher one. This offers an opportunity for the less furniture-conscious buyer to obtain a bargain.

For a discussion of the definitions of reconditioned and rebuilt, please see the section “Buying a Restored Piano” in this article. For the purposes of this chart, however, we have adopted the requirement that a piano has not been rebuilt unless its pinblock has been replaced, and that a piano that has been restrung, but without a new pinblock, is considered to have been reconditioned. Note that these definitions are not precise, and that both the quality and the quantity of the work can vary greatly, depending on the needs of the instrument and the capabilities of the restorer. These variations should be taken into account when determining the piano’s value.

Prices of Used Pianos (US$)
	Private Seller			Dealer
	Worse	Average	Better	Reconditioned	Rebuilt
Vertical, pre-1950, average brand	0-300	300-750	600-1,000	1,000-1,500	N/A
Vertical, pre-1950, better brand	150-500	400-1,000	700-1,500	1,200-2,000	N/A
Vertical, pre-1950, best brand	500-1,000	1,000-3,000	2,000-5,000	3,000-6,000	10,000-16,000
Vertical, 1950-1980, average brand	200-600	400-1,000	1,000-1,500	1,200-2,500	N/A
Vertical, 1950-1980, better brand	400-800	700-1,500	1,000-2,500	2,000-4,500	N/A
Vertical, 1950-1980, best brand	700-2,000	1,500-2,500	3,000-5,000	4,000-7,000	7,000-10,000
Vertical, 1980-	Use Depreciation Schedule
Grand, pre-1950, average brand, 5'	0-500	700-1,500	1,000-2,500	1,500-3,500	N/A
Grand, pre-1950, average brand, 6'	500-1,200	1,500-2,000	2,000-3,000	3,500-4,500	N/A
Grand, pre-1950, average brand, 7'	800-1,500	1,500-3,500	3,000-5,000	4,000-7,000	8,000-10,000
Grand, pre-1950, better brand, 5'	500-1,000	2,000-3,000	2,500-4,000	5,000-8,000	N/A
Grand, pre-1950, better brand, 6'	1,000-2,500	2,500-4,000	4,000-7,000	7,000-10,000	12,000-18,000
Grand, pre-1950, better brand, 7'	1,800-3,500	3,500-7,000	6,000-10,000	8,000-15,000	18,000-30,000
Grand, pre-1950, best brand, 5'	3,000-6,000	6,000-9,000	8,000-15,000	15,000-20,000	15,000-25,000
Grand, pre-1950, best brand, 6'	5,000-8,000	7,000-15,000	12,000-20,000	15,000-28,000	28,000-50,000
Grand, pre-1950, best brand, 7'	7,000-10,000	12,000-18,000	20,000-35,000	20,000-40,000	35,000-65,000
Grand, 1950-1980, average brand, 5'	500-1,200	1,500-2,500	2,000-4,000	3,000-5,000	N/A
Grand, 1950-1980, average brand, 6'	800-2,000	2,000-3,000	3,000-5,000	3,500-7,000	N/A
Grand, 1950-1980, average brand, 7'	1,500-2,500	2,500-4,000	4,000-7,000	4,000-8,000	8,000-12,000
Grand, 1950-1980, better brand, 5'	800-2,000	2,000-4,000	2,500-5,000	5,000-9,000	N/A
Grand, 1950-1980, better brand, 6'	1,500-3,000	2,500-5,000	4,000-9,000	8,000-12,000	12,000-22,000
Grand, 1950-1980, better brand, 7'	3,000-6,000	5,000-10,000	8,000-15,000	10,000-20,000	15,000-30,000
Grand, 1950-1980, best brand, 5'	4,000-7,000	7,000-10,000	9,000-18,000	16,000-21,000	17,000-25,000
Grand, 1950-1980, best brand, 6'	6,000-10,000	8,000-15,000	12,000-20,000	20,000-28,000	28,000-50,000
Grand, 1950-1980, best brand, 7'	8,000-12,000	14,000-20,000	18,000-30,000	20,000-40,000	35,000-65,000
Grand, 1980-	Use Depreciation Schedule