Forget the finish: it's the innards and sound that can be valuable.

Upright or grand? What wood? Can you find a serial number inside on the thing the strings attach to?

And are the keys ivory covered (shows grain like wood, with fine arched rays)?

Check the spelling: is it Stodart? They can be anything from ordinary to extraordinary, depending on the model.

Stodart Piano Company
Factory Location: New York, New York
Serial Number Dates: 1870 - 1931
History: The Stodart Piano Company was established in 1819, manufacturing Grands, Studios and Upright pianos for well over a century. (note: there seems to have been a European and a separate American company, using the name of an early pianomaker)

Thank you for responding, lazygardens (love your name).
Upright
Oak
10033
The keys are not ivory
The spelling - stodard - is the correct spelling
I could e-mail you a picture if you didn't mind - I don't know how to post it on the forum.
Thank you, Jeanie

OK ... Stodard was possibly the name of the store that sold it ... check the innards for some other nameplate. Stodard was the name of a sheet music publisher, I think, and they might have had pianos with their name.

Old pianos are often more valuable for the wood than as a piano, but only a musician or piano tuner can play it and tell you how it sounds. Some pianos were made by major manufactiurers and sold under store-brand names, others were truly cheap mass-market junk.

Cleaning and polishing it would not hurt - the value of a piano is more in the sound than the wood, and a carefully refinished good sounding one is more valuable than a mahogany junker with the original finish.

I can't do much with a picture, except give you the general age, based on cabinet style (they changed along with furniture styles). But ig you have a uncluttered well-lit view of the piano, and one of any ornamental detail, I might be able to get a vague age for you.

Email me and I'll reply so you can attach something. GW doesn't let you attach things to the first email.

I think I might have the same piano as you, and I'm also interested in learning more about it. My eventual goal is to sell mine, but I'd like to have some information on it first. If you'd be willing to share what you learn with me, I'd really appreciate it :).

I'm not sure if anyone who has/had a Stodard ever got the information that they needed. I'm in the same boat. I have an old Stodard (correct spelling)and it has a beautiful sound. I've been trying to get information on this piano for years.

Happy Christmas!

The Stodart piano company went out of business in 1931, therefore your piano is at least that old or more.

According to the link posted here, the company used variants of its name in differing time periods as differing owners operated the firm. This can be a clue for bracketing the age of your instrument.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stodart Piano Company

A tune on an old neglected Stodard piano. Turn on your speakers.

Here is a link that might be useful: tune

On the same note, I bought a Stodart baby grand piano and am wondering how old it is. The serial number is 35098. It is in really nice condition, other than needing new strings. Anything that you might know about this Piano would be greatly appreciated.

{{!gwi}}

If it needs new strings, it may need new hammers, pinblock and the bridges removed so the soundboard can be recrowned. Then you're talking 12K in work. Maybe just clean the strings and dope the block,reshape the hammers, adjust the action, have oversize pins put in and live with the soundboard, then it's a matter of 2K or less
Casey