STEINWAY & SONS launched the William E. STEINWAY Limited Edition piano on January 14, 2009, at the company’s annual convention in Newport Beach, California. This exquisite piano is a reproduction of the STEINWAY Centennial Piano, which was first introduced in 1876 at the nation’s Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The William E. STEINWAY Limited Edition piano recaptures a grand era with exquisite period detail and uncompromising style. The instrument blends extraordinary beauty with incomparable sound and touch. This limited edition piano is one of the finest ever created and is available in A, B or D models in Ebony or East Indian Rosewood. There will be only 115 of these magnificent instruments available, (only 2 in D Models made) and each William E. STEINWAY Limited Edition will display the same STEINWAY & SONS’ logo that graced all Steinways in the late 1800s. Details include a carved music desk featuring elegant scrollwork and the STEINWAY lyre, as well as a representation of the twelve coats of arms of the royal families around the world who own a STEINWAY piano.
This exceptional piano has less than 10 hours of playing time on its soundboard with the majority of the time spent on display in Steinway Galleries. I also own the sister East Indian Rosewood model of this same piano. The original retail value was $199,000.