Steinway & Sons - Price Records

Price Records

• The world's most expensive grand piano is a Steinway art case piano built by Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany, in 2008 for €1.2 million. It took Steinway about four years to build the piano. The piano is named Sound of Harmony and is decorated with inlays of 40 different woods, including the lid which replicates artwork by Chinese painter Shi Qi. The piano is owned by the art collector Guo Qingxiang and was chosen for use at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China.

• The world's most expensive grand piano sold at auction was built by Steinway's factory in New York City in 1883–87; it sold for $1.2 million in 1997 at Christie's in London. By setting this record, Steinway broke its own 1997 price record of $390,000. The grand piano is displayed at the art museum Clark Art Institute.

• The world's most expensive upright piano was built by Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany, in 1970. The piano was bought by John Lennon for $1,500; Lennon composed and recorded Imagine and other tunes on it. In 2000, it was sold at auction by a private British collector. Pop musician George Michael made the winning bid of £1.67 million.