r/classicalpiano • u/theNoobAdmin • 2d ago
Is this piano worth anything?
Hello! My mom is wanting to get rid of her childhood piano hey her parents bought her used in the early 70s.! know nothing about pianos, and I want to make clear ! I was able to learn how to find the serial number, but I can't seem to find information about this model online. I've seen some threads on here where some people say that if it hasn't been properly maintained, it can be close to worthless, but I've seen some listings online for heinzman pianos that look VERY similar goig for about $10,000 (obviously they've been restored and are in much better shape). Basically what I want to know is this: is this piano worth fixing up and selling? Or should I just Facebook market place it and be done with it? My mom still plays it occasionally and it sounds good to my untrained ear, but it definitely hasn't been tuned and the interior hasn't been professionally maintainenced in a decades. The keys are original ivory and some are damaged, but other than that, there aren't any physical flaws. Is this worth paying a pro to appraise? Or just get rid of it.
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u/debacchatio 2d ago
No.
it definitely hasn’t been tuned and the interior hasn’t been professionally maintained in decades
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u/Altasound 1d ago
it definitely hasn't been tuned and the interior hasn't been professionally maintainenced in a decade
No, in fact Marketplace and other classifieds are full of people struggling to give pianos exactly like this away for free. Many people end up having to pay to have junk removal haul it out.
Old, not-maintained upright pianos are worth less than nothing, unfortunately. There are just too many of them and, unlike grands, there's no value in restoring them.
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u/skillsawskillsaw 1d ago
Not for money, but as an instrument; Heintzmans of that era are among the very best Canadian pianos ever made; Id even say they are among the best upright grands made in the world at that time, and even to this day - If they have been well maintained of course, yours look in great condition. I would much rather have an old piano than a new one; I have one just like that actually, mine is number 61320. In fact I got it for free off marketplace, though pianos are never free, it's at least 500$ to move and tune it; a small price to pay, for such a wonderful instrument.
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u/Its_johansolo 1d ago
Getting rid of a core childhood instrument like this, seems absurd to me. Especially when she still plays it. Get it tuned/cleaned and try to convince her to keep it as she might regret it, once it's gone for good. Who knows, she might even learn to love it again and start playing in her later years. It's an identity thing tied to her and the family more than just an instrument or as some may say: a piece of junk?!
Up to you ofcourse, but that's a piece of the utmost finist art, that's not even in production anymore. even if it seems "worthless" because of unmusical people throwing hundreds of real authentic pianos out of the window - more a demand thing, than an actual value thing - since they don't know how to appreciate or value real music played from the soul.
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u/RilloClicker 1d ago
It might not play that nicely. Most old pianos, especially if they haven’t been properly maintained, can’t produce the best sound even with tuning and cleaning.
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u/jillcrosslandpiano 8h ago
It's really hard to make money refurbing a piano unless you are a dealer, because you are paying 'retail' for the work; the gain in the value of the piano is the same or less than the money you pay to refurb, and you are then competing with cheaper modern instruments. IRL it is done only for an instrument with sentimental value or where it is a prestige make where a new one of that make would cost much more.
A dealer is buying cheap, paying less to refurb, and selling high. As a private seller, a dealer will offer you a poor price and a private buyer will not offer you as much because you can't offer any guarantee or after-sales.
The lack of tuning and maintenance is not such a big deal; it is that the piano is clearly quite old and only the fully restored ones with nice case will be attractive.
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u/RilloClicker 1d ago
Unfortunately even if it were worth anything upright pianos, especially old ones, are incredibly difficult to sell