Serial number
Aeolian serial number lookup
How old is your Aeolian piano? Enter its serial number to find the year it was made. Our chart has 31 dated Aeolian serial numbers from 1903 to 1933.
- Upright piano: open the top lid and look at the cast-iron plate near the tuning pins, usually on the left or right side.
- Grand piano: look on the plate near the tuning pins, under the music desk, or on the soundboard beside the plate.
- Ignore model numbers and patent dates: the serial number is usually 4 to 7 digits long.
Timeline
Aeolian through the years
In business from 1887 to 1993: 106 years.
1850187519001925195019752000
Dated serials 1903–1933
From Wikipedia
The Aeolian Company was a musical-instrument making firm whose products included player organs, pianos, sheet music, records, and phonographs. Founded in 1887, it was at one point the world's largest such firm. At its early-1920s peak, Aeolian produced roughly one-third of U.S. pianos and, following a merger with the American Piano Company, surpassed Kimball to become the world's largest piano manufacturer, with a significant international presence. It held contracts with Steinway & Sons to provide its Duo-Art system for installation in Steinway pianos. The company went out of business in 1985.
The file
Aeolian in detail
Heritage
- Founder
- Manufacturing giant
- Role in piano history
- Popularized player pianos
- In museums
- MOMA archive
Workshop
- Factories
- New York
- Made in
- USA
- Materials
- Maple Spruce
- Innovations
- Player piano innovation
Instruments
- Models
- Orchestrelle
- Sound
- Classic
Owning one
- Service network
- Historic
- Availability
- Antique
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