02/19/2026
Wurlitzer 1938 Mini “Americana Series” Red
$ 7,995.99
The famous Rudolph Wurlitzer Company claimed to be sellers of “Everything Musical”, a slogan that was quite accurate! Rudolph Wurlitzer immigrated to America in 1854 and established his first firm in New York City. Wurlitzer moved to Cincinnati in 1856 and became a successful retailer of pianos, organs, and general musical merchandise. Wurlitzer’s firm was so successful that he built “The House of Wurlitzer”, a large factory with splendid showrooms, in 1861. During these early years, Wurlitzer manufactured organs and melodeons, but imported the majority of its other instruments from European makers, which were sold under the Wurlitzer label here in America.
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company was incorporated in 1890, and Wurlitzer’s eldest son, Howard Wurlitzer, was admitted into partnership. Sons Rudolph H. Wurlitzer and Farny Wurlitzer also joined the firm shortly thereafter. By the turn of the century, Wurlitzer was specializing in some of the first coin-operated player pianos and orchestrions manufactured and sold in the United States. Rudolph Wurlitzer retired in 1906 and was succeeded by his sons.
By the 1920s, Wurlitzer had an endless array of mechanical musical instruments in addition to their traditional pianos and player pianos. Several names were controlled by Wurlitzer by the early 20th Century, including Apollo, Julius Bauer, Melville Clark, De Kalb, Ellwood, Farny, Kingston, Merriam, Strad, and Underwood. After the Great Depression, Wurlitzer built several lines of spinets, consoles, and baby grand pianos well into the 20th Century. The giant Wurlitzer Company continued to build pianos until the 1990s, when the Wurlitzer name was sold to the famous Baldwin Piano & Organ Company.
This piano is a miniature piano built in 1938 as a limited release of an “Americana” series. They were originally unavailable to the general public, being built as playable mini displays for retail locations that carried the Wurlitzer line of products in three colors: Red, White, & Blue. These colors would be revived in the early 1970's when Wurlitzer again offered the finishes on its electric pianos, with the Baby Blue finish being the rarest of these offerings. The limited production of these pianos made them quite rare, hard to come by, and collectible. Later, the mini piano would be reintroduced and made available to the buying public between the 1960's and 1980's, reigniting the demand for these novelties and making the originals command impressive prices among serious collectors. This piano is from the original 1938 production; it has been meticulously restored and restrung, bringing it to its original state.
