How old is that Steinway piano?  This question comes up every now and
then.  The answer is always available on-line at the following address:

    http://www.steinway.com/html/tech/old.html

I've found this information to be quite helpful in bidding on used
Steinways.  I have a reasonable idea of what the piano cost new if
I know it's age.

For example, New Steinway Model B's (a piano that inspires passion
in most pianists) roughly double in price every 10 years.  They cost
roughly $50K now and roughly $25K in 1989 and roughly $13K in 1975.
There's much more to it than that, but frequently the original owner
will take half of what he paid and be happy with the deal.

I've found that if the piano is in (or can be put into) great shape,
a buyer will pay roughly half the price of a new piano.  A seldom
played Model B (and there are many around) made in 1989 can be bought
for around $12K and resold for around $24K if it is in pristine shape.

Obviously this gives one a profit which one can then spend on really
old worn out mechanical musical instruments.  This I do too often.

Bill Finch