How can I find the value of my Meldorf Player Piano ?
Patent May 30, 1899, Nov. 28, 1911, May 28, 1916

One of the things that I do for a living is that I am a piano tuner/technician. I have been one since 1974.

If your piano is an old upright player, meaning anywhere from approximately four feet high to five or more feet high, then it's value is not much as an antique. It could have a value in the hundreds of dollars and even any where from say $1,200.00 to about $7,000.00 if it is:

1. Tunable to standard pitch.
2. Has been tuned on a regular basis, say at least twice a year and no less than once a year.
3. All the player mechanism is in great shape and it plays the piano rolls as it was intended to do.
4. The finish is in excellent shape and original, or the piano has been refinished and the finish is hopefully, therefore in excellent condition. The foregoing would include the condition of any brass or nickel-plated metal that is visible.
5. The keytops are not chipped and are of first quality ivory. (There are different qualities for the ivories on piano keytops.
6. The piano has a bench that matches both the legs and the existing finish.
7. It has a lot of "gingerbread" in the design of the wood on it.

My list could go on. There are many factors that can determine what it would be worth in the monetary sense.

Old uprights or old upright player pianos are generally not as desirable to most people nowadays, because they are simply so large and hard to move around. Hence, the value of them in terms of money is not as much as we would hope it would be. However, the tone of them can be very comparable to that of a small grand piano. Also, people can get electronic pianos that do the same thing as the old player pianos. And, if a person owns a more modern acoustic piano that is not a player piano, it can be made into one quite easily because of the advances in electronic player mechanisms that can be installed on pianos.

Is this a piano that has been in your family for a long time?