In the wake of Bernie Madoff's now $65 billion Ponzi scheme fiasco, federal officials were desperate to seize any and all personal possessions of the super-criminal in order to at least partially compensate the thousands of people whose life savings he had bilked. In addition to no fewer than four houses and wife Ruth Madoff's $2.6 million jewelry collection, the FBI took the time to nab Ruth's Steinway piano, valued at $39,000.

Such is the reputation of perhaps the most famous piano maker in the world, that its products rank among the most prized possessions a person can have. And that is only right, because this venerated Long Island City manufacturer (it also has an additional assembly site in Hamburg, Germany) has been producing grand pianos since 1853 that nine out of 10 concert pianists still prefer. Each takes at least a year to produce, and is made entirely by hand. Over a dozen different kinds of wood are used in the production of each, and their iron frame is designed to withstand the 230 strings' combined pull tension of between 18 (baby grands) and 30 tons (concert grands)! Steinway exteriors are treated with no fewer than 12 layers of lacquer. Black is the most favored exterior color, but such finishes as Kewazinga Bubinga, Macassar Ebony and Santos Rosewood are also available.

A Steinway's tonality is often expressed in the ethereal terms. "Transcendent" is a word that finds common usage, as is "mysterious" and "ethereal." We could bandy about such expressions all day long, and still not come within a thousand yards of how extraordinarily deep and wondrous the sound from this instrument can be.

Such a marvel doesn't come cheap, of course. The Model S (shown here) is the smallest of Steinway's grand piano line and intended for use in apartments (5'1"-long and 540 pounds). A new one will run you just south of $40,000, though there's a fairly vigorous market for used varieties. The good news is that Steinways often increase in value over time, one of very, very few instruments which do so.