Bechstein Serial Numbers
If you own a Bechstein and want to know its age, the serial number is the place to start. This page shows you where to find it, gives you a full year chart, and explains what the number can and cannot tell you.
We are Yamaha specialists, not a Bechstein dealer. We put this guide together because we are asked about piano ages all the time and the information online is often thin.
Where to find the serial number
The number is usually stamped into the cast iron frame, the large metal plate inside the piano. On a grand, lift the lid and look on the plate near the tuning pins, often under the music desk. On an upright, open the top lid and look at the top right of the plate. On many Bechsteins the number also appears on the back of the piano. It is normally five or six digits, separate from the model number and any patent numbers.
Bechstein serial number chart
Find where your serial number falls, then read across to the year. Each figure is roughly the number Bechstein had reached by that year, so a piano numbered between two rows was made in the earlier period. For example, a piano numbered 130,000 sits between 1925 and 1930, so it dates from the late 1920s.
| Year | Serial number reached by then |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 176 |
| 1860 | 300 |
| 1865 | 1,595 |
| 1870 | 4,196 |
| 1875 | 8,070 |
| 1880 | 11,676 |
| 1885 | 16,704 |
| 1890 | 24,958 |
| 1895 | 37,785 |
| 1900 | 54,181 |
| 1905 | 78,185 |
| 1910 | 94,753 |
| 1915 | 110,898 |
| 1920 | 115,783 |
| 1925 | 126,160 |
| 1930 | 137,446 |
| 1935 | 139,999 |
| 1940 | 143,890 |
| 1945 | 146,235 |
| 1950 | 147,000 |
| 1955 | 148,400 |
| 1959 | 150,600 |
| 1960 | 151,950 |
| 1970 | 162,300 |
| 1980 | 173,785 |
| 1985 | 177,800 |
| 1990 | 180,821 |
| 1991 | 181,522 |
| 1992 | 182,103 |
| 1994 | 183,219 |
| 1996 | 184,580 |
| 2000 | 187,537 |
| 2002 | 189,243 |
| 2005 | 192,945 |
A note on accuracy. These figures come from the published piano atlases the trade has used for decades. They are close, but not exact to the individual piano, so treat the result as the year give or take. Bechstein also runs its own “how old is my Bechstein” archive service, which can confirm a date precisely from the serial.
What the number does and does not tell you
It tells you the age, which is genuinely useful, because it also tells you which era of Bechstein you have. It does not tell you the condition, or whether the piano has been rebuilt and with what parts, and those are what really set the value. Our buying guide explains what to check.
One more thing to check
The serial dates the piano, but it does not tell you which line it is. Make sure you know whether you have a hand-built German C. Bechstein or one of the cheaper W. Hoffmann or Academy models, as that makes a big difference to value. See our models guide and our Academy and Hoffmann explainer.