The five most expensive pianos ever sold

The piano is one of the richest and grandest instruments in the world of music. But have you ever wondered what the (quite literally) richest pianos in the real world are? We have listed some of the most expensive pianos in the world. Here at the top 5:

The Casablanca Piano

Sold for: $3,400,000

The single most expensive piano sold to date is the unrivalled upright piano in the 1942 Hollywood movie Casablanca and the specific scene from where the famous quote "Play it Sam, play it" emerged. The piano was auctioned in 2014 for a shocking $3.4 million and a fun fact about it is that it was probably not even a real piano. It is known that the piano was mainly used in the movie as a prop, with its size reduced to fit the scene. What's even more interesting is that Dooley Wilson did not actually know how to play, so there was a pianist playing the notes off-screen.

The Heintzman Crystal Piano

Sold for: $3,220,000

The Heintzman Crystal piano is not far behind the most expensive piano in the world, and was sold at $3,220,000 at an auction. It is said that the piano is completely made of crystal and was meant to be played at concert halls. However, many believe that these were rumours and the transparent piano is in fact also made of acrylic. This piano was used in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Japanese pianist Lang Lang when he performed Yellow River Cantata.

The Steinway & Sons "Pictures at an exhibition" Piano

Sold for: $2,500,000

The Pictures at an Exhibition Piano is one of a kind, and an ode to famous Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky's musical piece. The piano was worked on by Pual Wyse who admits that this particular piano is more about bringing "mystery, history, and legend to life" in a piano that he compares to a cathedral. The piano is painted and intricately adorned with carvings that will make the viewer simply stand awestruck.

The Steinway & Sons Fibonacci Piano

Sold for: $2,400,000

The Steinway Fibonacci piano was built in order to celebrate the successful manufacturing of 600,000 pianos by Steinway & Sons. The veneer of this piano intricately showcases the Fibonacci spiral - an idea of Frank Pollaro, the mastermind behind it all. Apparently, logs of Macassar Ebony were used in the creation of the spiral which is supposed to be flowing to represent nature. The piano took four whole years to be completed, but the world would argue that it was definitely worth the wait!

The Steinway Model Z Piano

Sold for: $2,270,000

Almost everyone has heard the popular John Lennon song Imagine, but not everyone knows that the Steinway Model Z piano is what he wrote and played this song on. Yes, that's the sole reason this otherwise ordinary looking upright piano has received its fame! Sold at $2.27 million, this piano comes at a price - and a high one at that.