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FREE PIANO IDENTIFICATION & SERIAL NUMBER LOOKUP TOOL

What Year Was My Kurtzmann Piano Made? (Serial Number Lookup + Guide)

DIRECT ANSWER

C. Kurtzmann & Company pianos can be accurately dated from their founding in 1848 through the end of production in 1938. Known for heavy, exceptionally robust cabinetry and a deep, sweet tone, these instruments followed a unified chronological serial number sequence during their independent operations in Buffalo, New York, before the brand name was acquired by Wurlitzer in 1935.

Accuracy depends on:

The Buffalo Era Sequence: Instruments built between 1848 and 1935 map to an orderly, low-to-mid-volume production sequence unique to the original Buffalo factories.
The Wurlitzer Transition: Pianos built between 1935 and 1938 carry higher serial numbers corresponding to Wurlitzer’s acquisition period just before the brand was retired.

HOW KURTZMANN SERIAL NUMBERS WORK

Kurtzmann serial numbers are entirely numeric and strictly sequential. The company did not use factory letter prefixes or block code resets for different cabinet styles; uprights, player uprights, and grand pianos all shared the same continuous master sequence.

Numeric Length: Depending on age, Kurtzman serial numbers range from 3 to 4 digits for rare 19th-century models, up to 5 or 6 digits for the high-volume eras of the 1910s and 1920s.
Input Requirement: The lookup tool processes numeric digits only. Ignore any independent patent dates, model letters, or action numbers stamped elsewhere on the wood or cast-iron plate

HOW TO FIND YOUR KURTZMANN SERIAL NUMBER

GRAND PIANOS

Fully open the grand lid and slide the music desk forward off its wooden tracks.
Look down at the gold cast-iron plate over the soundboard.
The number is stamped directly on the frame surface near the tuning pins or on the soundboard wood beneath the strings – typically, close to the Kurtzmann emblem or the bass bridge.

KURTZMANN UPRIGHT PIANOS

- Lift the top lid of the piano cabinet.
- Look down directly inside at the gold-painted cast-iron plate.
- The serial number is most frequently stamped on the top left or top center of the plate, often located near the tuning pins or indented into a small, unpainted rectangular window in the iron.
- On early Kurtzmann uprights, the number may also be stamped into the top raw wood edge of the heavy back frame or case structure.

KURTZMANN PIANO SERIAL NUMBER LOOKUP TOOL

STEP 1: SELECT THE MANUFACTURER

STEP 2: ENTER YOUR SERIAL NUMBER

Serial Number

STEP 3: THE RESULT

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A KURTZMANN LOOKUP

A factual historical search will deliver:

The precise year or production bracket that your vintage instrument left the Buffalo or North Tonawanda assembly floors.
Historical context regarding whether the piano belongs to the celebrated pre-Depression era of hand-matched veneers or the later corporate transition years.

It will not deliver:

The original retail dealer or the private residential delivery address.
The specific type of exotic wood veneer (such as matched flame mahogany or burled walnut) used on the cabinet finish.

KURTZMANN PIANO HISTORY

Founded in 1848 by Christian Kurtzmann, a German-born master craftsman, C. Kurtzmann & Company established its reputation on Staats Street in Buffalo, New York, before scaling up to larger factories at Broadway and Elm. The company became a cornerstone of high-end manufacturing in Western New York, celebrated for high-quality engineering and dense, musical cabinetry.

The Cabinetry Standard: Kurtzmann was highly regarded within the trade for its exceptional wood selection. The company employed dedicated artisans to book-match and hand-apply thick, premium mahogany and walnut veneers, making their large uprights and square grands a symbol of luxury in Gilded Age homes.
The “Acoustigrande” Era: During the peak piano boom of the early 20th century, Kurtzmann introduced highly successful lines of player pianos and specialized scale designs, marketed for their “sweetness of tone” and robust structural longevity.
The Wurlitzer Acquisition: Following the financial strain of the Great Depression, the nearby Rudolph Wurlitzer Company (based in North Tonawanda, NY) acquired the Kurtzmann brand name and remaining assets in 1935. Wurlitzer continued to manufacture a limited number of instruments bearing the Kurtzmann nameplate until permanently retiring the brand in 1938.

Kurtzmann