I was considering selling my piano and I decided to do a little research trying to figure out more about whether it is valuable or not. I found out that the company who made it had been bought out a couple of times and doesn’t exist anymore. It was made by the J & C Fischer Company. This company existed in the 1800’s and the early 1900’s. It was also located in New York. As I was looking around online, I found lots of pianos made by other companies but not by Fischer. I even looked on ebay and no one had one of these for sell. Does this mean that my piano is rare and might be worth a lot? Anybody know anything about the Fischer Company and their pianos?
One thing to do is find the actual date of manufacture; this is usually stamped on the … oh for crying out loud, I’m a pianist and I’m blanking on the name of the thing … the big ol’ piece of metal that all the strings are attached to. Just about all modern pianos have the date stamped there, within easy view from the front of the instrument once the top is opened; I’ve also seen it there on some late nineteenth century pianos.
Also, what kind of piano is it? A grand? A baby grand? An upright? A spinet? What kind of shape is it in? Does it have a bench? Are all the pedals working? (my roommate has a turn-of-the century upright with a few pedals that don’t work, including of all things a honky-tonk pedal)
My piano is an upright one. It has a matching bench, it’s in great shape, and everything works. I did open the top to look for a manufacturing date but all it said was the company name and when the company was established(1840). It also has a serial number on there.
Ask your piano tuner.
I have an Ludwig from 1915. The tuner had a book that he was able to look it up in. Maybe call a music store.
I tried to buy a used piano a while back, and this is what I learned… Some important things about a used piano are its age, sound, and condition. The reason the piano’s age is important is because the frame and pegboard have a limited lifespan, (I’m told) around 50-70 years. Eventually the pegboard will wear out and the strings won’t be able to hold their pitch.
I’d suggest going to music stores and getting appraisals from professional piano techs. However, if your piano is 100 years old or so, it may be getting towards the end of its useful life and therefore not worth much. Some places will do a refirb but by then it may cost more than it’s worth. Good luck.