The famed piano on which “As Time Goes By’’ is played for Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the Hollywood classic “Casablanca’’ is up for auction and bidding could top $1 million.
Sotheby’s in New York City is selling the iconic, 58-key upright piano on Friday and expects it to fetch a price from $800,000 to $1.2 million.
The piano was used in a flashback scene in which Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund, played by Bogart and Bergman, lean on it in a Paris bistro as they sip champagne.
“Here’s looking at you, kid,’’ Rick romantically toasts.
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In the movie, “As Time Goes By’’ is played and sung by Dooley Wilson.
The 1942 movie from Warner Brothers won Oscars for best picture, best director and best screenplay.
The green-stained piano, one of two used in the movie, comes with a matching green stool.
Pianist and singer Michael Feinstein, who tested the piano out this week, told the
New York Times: “It’s not gratifying to play, but that’s not actually what it’s about … This is memorabilia. Nobody’s buying this as a musical instrument.’’
The value of the piano has risen over the years — it was last sold in 1988 for $154,000.