One of the primary ways you can begin to investigate the value of your piano is by locating the serial number. The serial number is considered your piano’s birth certificate, and it is the way the original manufacturer assigned it a unique.
Kimball Piano Serial Number Lookup
This division started as a piano dealership in Chicago in 1857 as W.W. Kimball and Company by William Wallace Kimball (1828–1904). In 1864, Kimball moved from its earliest location in the corner of a jewelry store to sales rooms in the Crosby Opera House where Kimball sold pianos made by East Coast piano makers Chickering and Sons, the J & C Fischer Piano Company, Hallet & Davis, F.C. Gibson Guitars Guitars acquired the Hamilton name in 2001, when they purchased the Baldwin Piano Co. See Acrosonic or Baldwin for additional numbers. Serial numbers are for the first piano made in year shown.
However, locating it can be tricky. We provide our customers with the following real-life diagrams to quickly help them find the serial number on their grand or upright piano.
Grand serial numbers like on the Steinway pictured above may be found in many different places. The various places on the diagram point to some possible locations.
Typically, a serial number has 5 to 7 digits, but in some cases, it may have fewer or more and may also include a letter. This is a view of the grand with the lid open and the music desk removed. It may be necessary to clean dust off the harp or soundboard before the serial number can be seen.
Upright or vertical piano serial numbers can usually be found by lifting the lid and looking inside on the gold harp or plate. It is usually not necessary to remove the upper front panel to find the serial number (as in this picture).
By locating the serial number, you can begin your research to know the value of the piano. The first thing the serial number tells you is the age of the piano. Paired with the who made the piano, the age is a key piece of information, and many piano experts can begin to assign a value quickly after assessing the condition and a few other criteria.
Sometimes, however, a serial number can be nearly impossible to find, even to professionals who know where to look and have identified thousands of serial numbers in their years of expertise. If you are running into this problem, feel free to give us a call, and we’ll be happy to work with you to locate your serial number.
Contact us today!
Original image sources:
Piano Age By Serial Number Free
Grand piano: https://www.amromusic.com/
Upright piano: http://www.steinhovenpianos.com/
W W Kimball Piano Serial
When quoting a piano move, the instrument size is extremely important for accurately determining the number of movers and type of equipment needed. Because piano manufacturers differ in their descriptions, the best way to communicate your piano size is to provide a make and model number. Please note that the serial number will not provide the piano size, however, if your piano is going to be picked up or delivered at a business, it may be beneficial to provide your mover with the serial number as well.
Depending upon the brand, the model number can be in different places. The information and images below provide general information and brand specific areas. If you cannot find any serial or model numbers, your piano may have been refurbished and the number plate, if there was one, was not put back on or the number was covered.
Serial Numbers – Generally 4 to 7 digits long
Model Numbers – Are often a letter or start with a letter
GRAND PIANOS
- Open the lid and look above the keyboard area.
- Look in front of the soundboard in either corner.
- Look along the inside plate holes or it may be in one of the circles stamped into the soundboard.
- The number may be stamped under the piano.
VERTICAL PIANOS
- Open the back panel. Look at the top back, all the way across.
- If not stamped into the top, look between the tuning pins.
- The number may be stamped on the back of the piano.
Yellow: Bosendorfer / Kawai / Samick / Story and Clark / Yamaha / Young Chang
Green: Baldwin / Mason Hamlin / Schimmel / Steinway
Blue: Kimball
If the model number is not stamped in the circled area, it may be on the back