To determine the age of the piano, the exact company name will give a ball park idea of the age - which will determine if the piano has 5 to 5 1/2 or 6 octaves. For example: 1) Astor, John, Jacob - German, came to America as a fur exporter in 1783. He imported Broadwood pianos from England. He may have put his name on some of these pianos. Later, in 1828, an Astor piano company was formed in New York. 2) Astor, George (1794 - 1830) London, England. (John, Jacob's brother) Formed a piano company in London. These were known as: i) 1799 "George Astor & Company" ii) 1815 "Astor & Horwood" iii) 1822 "Astor & Company" Depending on the year the piano was built - 1780 to 1810 the piano went from 5 to 5 1/2 octaves, and by the 1820's to 6 octaves. from: Piano Keep Vern Enyedy Box 1893 Revelstoke, B.C. V0E 2S0 604-837-2120 Phone or Fax Jim & Sharon