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What Year Was My Lowrey Piano Made?
(Serial Number Lookup + Guide)
DIRECT ANSWER
Most Lowrey acoustic pianos can be dated to a specific year from the serial number. On these upright instruments, the number is usually stamped on the cast-iron plate beneath the top lid, near the tuning pins, or occasionally on the upper wooden back structure.
Lowrey acoustic pianos share the Story & Clark factory production sequence rather than having a separate serial-number system. This lookup applies only to acoustic pianos—not Lowrey electronic organs, which use a different date-code system.
LOWREY PIANO SERIAL NUMBER LOOKUP TOOL
WHERE IS THE SERIAL NUMBER ON A LOWREY?
Lowrey serial numbers are stamped directly onto the cast iron plate inside the cabinet or onto a dedicated area of the wooden back structure.
Open the top lid of the piano cabinet.
Look straight down into the interior at the gold or bronze-painted cast iron plate.
The serial number is usually ink-stamped directly into the metal frame, often located near the tuning pins in the center or treble area.
On some models, the number is stamped into the wood of the upper back structural posts or visible through a small cut-out window in the plate.
A flashlight may be required due to internal shadowing from the action components.
DO NOT USE THESE NUMBERS
A serial number from a Lowrey electronic organ; organ date codes do not use the acoustic-piano registry.
Large raised numbers cast into the iron plate. These are structural or model codes, not the serial number.
Cabinet-style numbers or model designations, including references to Charles Frederick Stein scale designs.
Faded or partially obscured numbers that have not been checked directly on the cast-iron plate.
WHAT A LOWREY SERIAL NUMBER CAN TELL YOU
A Lowrey acoustic piano serial-number lookup can usually identify its manufacturing year and place it within the Grand Haven, Michigan production sequence shared with Story & Clark.
It cannot establish the exact day or month the piano was completed, identify an electronic organ, or provide specific cabinet, veneer, or layout details.
LOWREY PIANO HISTORY
The Lowrey name became widely known for home electronic organs. Chicago Musical Instruments acquired the brand in 1955, then purchased Story & Clark Piano Company in 1963 and produced Lowrey acoustic pianos at the Story & Clark factory in Grand Haven, Michigan.
1963–1969: Lowrey acoustic piano production began under Chicago Musical Instruments.
1969–1989: Lowrey acoustic pianos continued during the Norlin era, including instruments using acoustic scale designs associated with Charles Frederick Stein.
1989: Traditional American Lowrey acoustic piano production in Grand Haven ended.
Lowrey acoustic pianos are part of the mid-century American home-piano era and were commonly distributed through the company’s organ dealer network.
Reviewed by Joe Kemple, Master Piano Technician, Burd and Sons Piano Service · Updated September 2026
Our database includes Lowrey piano serial numbers across all major production eras and instrument types.
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