Currier Piano Value – Assessing a Currier Piano’s Worth

Discover the True Currier Piano Value

If you’re interested in buying a Currier piano, and you’re excited to learn the Currier piano value for a specific model in particular, you’re in luck.  In this article, we will break down how to examine a Currier piano’s true worth, as well as showcase a handful of examples of what Currier piano’s are selling for on the market to give you a better idea of how well they’re valued.

Assessing a Currier Piano’s Worth

Currier pianos are often known as one of the lesser-known and lesser-valued brands of pianos, but they’ve produced some pianos with quality sound over the years. Although there are several different models of piano (spinet, console, grand, baby grand, etc.), Curriers mostly produced vertical pianos, like uprights and consoles. 

Although there aren’t many fairly priced grands and baby grands on the market, just know that those pianos are going to be at the higher end of the price range. Upright, console, and spinet pianos are quite similar, characterized by a difference in overall size. 

Currier Piano Value: Spinets

We’ll first look at Spinets, the smallest and therefore the least expensive, and move our way up by size. 

1) One 1973 Currier Spinet Piano is selling for $499 through the Henderson Music Company. Based on the picture, it looks like the keys and body are in very good condition, and the finish looks unblemished and smooth. The bench is also included, which is important to know—that can affect the price as well. 

Produced in 1973 and accounting for depreciation, and as long as there is no significant damage to the inside, I’d say this is a very reasonable price for a Currier brand piano, if a bit low. 

2) The price for this Currier Spinet piano on sale through Piano Distributors is $1,000, which seems a little bit high (depending on the date of manufacture, which wasn’t provided). I’d say this would be a reasonable price if it had been produced anytime after 1995 and was still in good condition. However, anything between 1960 and 1995 would probably be worth closer to a few hundred dollars (my guess would be $700). 

3) Our final Currier Spinet (manufacture date not provided) is selling for $150, which is on the very low side. From the picture, I can’t see any significant damage (besides needing perhaps a paint job and some finish) to the body or to the keys. 

This leads me to believe that a) the owners really just want to get rid of it, which is a possibility, or b) there is significant damage to the inside mechanisms, which significantly lowers the price. 

The first two Spinets are selling for somewhat fair prices, but I’d say the actual worth is somewhere in the middle of them. The third Spinet is selling for so low I’m honestly surprised by it. 

And if you’d actually like to hear the sound of a Currier Spinet for yourself, check out the video below, where you can see one being played for your viewing pleasure:

Currier Piano Worth for Console Pianos

1) Console pianos are like a bridge between Spinets and Uprights—the size is somewhere in the middle of the other two. A Currier Console from the Valley Piano Company in Arkansas is selling for $799.99, which I think is a perfect price for a Console. No serial number or date has been provided, but I’m going to guess it was produced sometime in the 60s or 70s, which makes sense for the values. The picture shows a good-quality piano, so as long as the mechanics are intact, this is a good price. 

2) Another Console piano selling from Piano Distributors, is selling for $1000. This one does come with a serial number, and the date does coincide with its projected value, though it might be a little bit on the high side. Both are very reasonable prices for Currier Console pianos. 

3) Finally, a Currier Upright piano, dated from 1965 to 1981, is selling for just $350. This price is incredibly low, especially for an upright.  A big reason for the low price is the following issues:

-Damage to the top surface of the finish
-The piano is missing its music sheet stand
-It’s believe that the piano needs a cleaning and potentially a tuneup

What is a Currier Piano’s True Worth?

The price range for a Currier piano is going to be anywhere from $500 to $4000 for a vertical piano in good condition. Spinets and consoles are going to be closer to the high hundreds or low thousands, and uprights may be closer to the $4000 mark, depending on their date of manufacture and quality. 

Grands and baby grands, though more expensive, are going to see a bit of a value decrease simply because of the brand and the older age, since they’re not being currently produced. I would recommend not expecting to receive (or pay) any more than $8000 for a good-quality baby grand. 

What Else Affects Value?

Some other factors you’ll want to consider, as stated earlier, are age and depreciation, condition, sound quality, and the material used. Age is going to directly influence the value lost to depreciation; this age can be found by locating the serial number (whose locations differs depending on the brand) and using a website directory to find the age, manufacturing details, and more.

A piano that requires a great deal of work on the inside is going to cost a great deal to fix, and the process of restoration may take some time. Restoring the actual mechanics of a piano takes long hours and excruciatingly precise work, and by the time it’s restored well enough to sell for a high price, you may end up losing money. Still, restoration is definitely something to consider if you’re looking to see your piano. 

The type of material used, usually the kind of wood, will also play a role (mahogany and ebony are going to be the most expensive woods, while walnut and pecan are a couple of examples of lower-priced materials). 

Sound quality also plays a large role. The piano can be in good condition, but if the mechanics on the inside are even slightly damaged, the sound is going to be significantly affected. Still, I wouldn’t get worried about having to restore the piano as soon as the sound quality diminishes—it may just need a tuning. 

How Do I Know What the Value Is?

Appraisals are excellent tools for novices to either get an idea of the value or to affirm or revise their own research’s conclusion. Most of these elements are easy to figure out even for beginners, especially once you find the serial number of your piano.  You can use the serial number to determine the age of your piano.  Once you’ve found the age, you can determine how much the value may have depreciated.

You can, however, have an appraisal done for anywhere from $50 to $500 (on average, of course). An experienced appraiser will usually play the piano a bit to get a sense of the sound quality, examine the body, find the serial number, and perform a number of other tasks. They’ll usually do the appraisal in your home and give you an approximate price range. 

Conclusion

Determining the Currier piano value for a piano you want to sell, or want to buy, isn’t easy.  Pianos are versatile instruments, and that is reflected in their value—and several different elements play into their overall worth.  But hopefully, you’ll found this article to be a helpful resource.

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