An Old Grand Piano Might Have Been Yours for $3,211

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This very grand, very out-of-tune piano fetched $3,210 at a city surplus auction last week.

B sharp is good advice when you're looking for a bargain, particularly a grand piano. New York City sold a surplus one last week for $3,210, bench included.

“A very good deal,” said Dan Alexander, a California purveyor of musical instruments, who bought the Mason & Hamlin Model BB.

Sara Faust, whose firm, Faust Harrison, calls itself New York's largest piano retailer, said a new Mason & Hamlin Model BB lists for as much as $83,000 and typically sells for closer to $60,000.

The 900-pound piano sold by the city is nearly 50 years old. The metal frame was described as original and in good condition. A key top is missing (one less ivory to tickle) and so are the wheels. The body has some minor scuffs and scratches.

It also needs quite a bit of tuning, as you can hear in the video above.

Ms. Faust described the cost of restoring an older model as “very high.”

The piano belonged to the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, which supervises the city's radio, television and online network and acts as a liaison for private television and movie production shooting.

Twenty bids were received, the first at $500. As for Mr. Alexander's winning bid, Ms. Faust said, “He got a really good deal.”