Beale Piano Serial Number Lookup Today
After Yamaha’s involvement (from 1969 onward), Beale serial numbering became irregular or overlapped with Yamaha’s system. Many online lookup tools stop at ~1970. For pianos from 1970–1990, age estimation becomes guesswork unless you contact Yamaha Australia directly.
Before you start dusting off the inside of your piano, it is worth understanding what that serial number actually tells you.
Beale pianos were manufactured primarily by Beale & Company in Sydney, Australia, and later by various owners. The company changed hands, and records were lost or digitized. However, the Australian Piano Museum and historical ledgers have reconstructed the most reliable dating chart. beale piano serial number lookup
How to use this chart: Find your serial number. Match it to the year range below.
| Year of Manufacture | Serial Number Range | Historical Context | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1895 | 1 – 500 | First year of production, Alexandria, Sydney. Extremely rare. | | 1900 | 1500 – 2500 | Art Nouveau cases popular. | | 1905 | 6000 – 8500 | Federation-era designs. | | 1910 | 15000 – 18000 | Rising Australian nationalism. | | 1915 | 22000 – 26000 | WWI disrupts German felt imports. | | 1920 | 30000 – 35000 | Post-war boom. Beale becomes Australia's largest piano maker. | | 1925 | 42000 – 48000 | "Golden Age" of quality. Overstrung underdamper actions. | | 1930 | 55000 – 60000 | Great Depression begins – production slows. | | 1935 | 65000 – 68000 | Art Deco designs appear. | | 1940 | 72000 – 75000 | Steel shortages due to WWII. | | 1945 | 77000 – 80000 | Post-war restart. Simple cabinet designs. | | 1950 | 85000 – 90000 | Rise of radio and TV – piano sales decline. | | 1955 | 93000 – 96000 | Modern styling (mid-century). | | 1960 | 100000 – 103000 | Last truly "Australian-made" parts. | | 1965 | 105000 – 107000 | Manufacturing quality begins to vary. | | 1970 | 110000 – 112000 | Production moves partially overseas. | | 1975 | 113000 – 114500 | Final years of Sydney production. | | 1980 | 115000 – 116000 | Very rare. Mostly imported stencil pianos. | | 1985+ | 117000+ | Beale brand used on Asian imports. | The above chart gives you a year
Example: If your serial number is 45,200, the chart places it between 1925 (42,000) and 1930 (55,000), so approximately 1926-1927.
The above chart gives you a year. But if you want the exact month, factory batch, or original sale destination, you need to go deeper. or original sale destination
Some piano appraisal sites (e.g., Total Piano Care UK or Piano Age Calculator) offer paid serial searches – but verify they have Beale data first.
Since Beale went through multiple ownerships (Beale → Beale Piano Company → Yamaha Australia distribution), there is no official online database. Use these instead:
