What Can Serial Numbers Tell Me?
The main thing you learn from serial numbers is the age of the instrument of course. Although the dates in these charts are reasonably accurate, there may be some discrepancies for various reasons. Here are a few things to bear in mind:
- Sometimes a company may hold back a batch of instruments and then release them a couple of years later.
- The production of old and new models can overlap, or in some cases features of a new model appear on the later batch of the previous model. This can lead to what we call transitional models, which have some new and some old features. A famous example would be the early 30s Conn instruments.
- Many companies make other instruments, not just saxophones and the serial numbers are spread over their entire range. So saxophones may not be numbered sequentially.
- Serial numbers can be used to identify supposedly “better” instruments. It is sometimes (possible erroneously) supposed that five digit MKVIs are the best. Or you want to play a horn with a number that is close to your idol’s saxophone.
Why do people mask part of a serial number?
When advertising an instrument for sale, you will often see the serial number referred to as 36xxxx. It is rumoured that there is a scam, by which somebody who acquires your serial number can then claim the instrument is theirs. This may just be paranoia as I have never heard of this happening, nor can I understand how it could happen.
Ideally you should have a record of the serial number with your sales receipt and won your insurance details.
A serial number can of course be used to identify a stolen instrument. If a seller does hide part of the number you may wonder if they are trying to hide the fact that it is stolen. In most cases the reason is for the one stated above, but it is always worth checking when buying an instrument. Ask the seller privately for the number and do a search for that instrument. If it has been stolen recently, the legal owner may have registered it with an online database of stolen saxophones.
Vintage Buescher, Conn, Martin, King & Selmer Serial Numbers
There are quite a few saxophone serial number charts on the internet, these ones have mostly been adapted from existing manufacturers’ and saxophone enthusiasts’ charts.
I will be adding more soon, as well as checking for accuracy and updating these with more historical and instrument information.
Buescher
| Serial Number | Year of Manufacture |
True Tone |
|
| 5000 | 1905 |
| 11250 | 1910 |
| 25103 | 1915 |
| 61255 | 1920 |
| 175275 | 1925 |
Aristocrat |
|
| 255250 | 1930 |
| 269000 | 1935 |
Big B & 400 Series |
|
| 291000 | 1940 |
| 303000 | 1945 |
| 332000 | 1950 |
| 350000 | 1955 |
| 360000 | 1960 |
| 381000 | 1963 |
Company acquired by Selmer |
|
| 408818 | 1965 |
| 520000 | 1970 |
| 630000 | 1975 |
| 785000 | 1980 |
| 875000 | 1983 |
Conn
| Serial Number | Year of Manufacture |
Wonder |
|
| 9600 | 1905 |
| 10800 | 1906 |
| 12000 | 1907 |
| 13000 | 1908 |
| 15400 | 1909 |
| 17800 | 1910 |
| 21200 | 1911 |
| 22500 | 1912 |
| 25000 | 1913 |
| 30000 | 1914 |
| 35000 | 1916 |
| 40000 | 1917 |
| 50000 | 1919 |
| 58000 | 1920 |
| 64000 | 1921 |
| 83000 | 1922 |
| 101775 | 1923 |
| 124600 | 1924 |
New Wonder (Chu Berry) |
|
| 145400 | 1925 |
| 167900 | 1926 |
| 193450 | 1927 |
| 209250 | 1928 |
| 224600 | 1929 |
| 237800 | 1930 |
Transitional |
|
| 244700 | 1931 |
| 249230 | 1932 |
| 256501 | 1933 |
M Series (Naked Lady) |
|
| 260000 | 1934 |
| 263500 | 1935 |
| 271000 | 1936 |
| 278000 | 1937 |
Connqueror |
|
| 284000 | 1938 |
| 285000 | 1939 |
| 288300 | 1940 |
| 295250 | 1941 |
| 304500 | 1942 |
| 309250 | 1943 |
| 309300 | 1944 |
| 310200 | 1945 |
| 314000 | 1946 |
| 320000 | 1947 |
Connstellation – Rolled tone holes discontinued |
|
| 327150 | 1948 |
| 332150 | 1949 |
| 337250 | 1950 |
| 341850 | 1951 |
| 341851 | 1952 |
| 354742 | 1953 |
| 359251 | 1954 |
| 500001 | 1955 |
| 571750 | 1956 |
| 652002 | 1957 |
| 718626 | 1958 |
| 779657 | 1959 |
| 834200 | 1960 |
| 898556 | 1961 |
| 949465 | 1962 |
| C00501 | 1963 |
| C73854 | 1964 |
| E54106 | 1965 |
| H31247 | 1966 |
| K35274 | 1967 |
| L20454 | 1968 |
Martin
| Serial Number | Serial Number | Year |
| 17221 | 1919 | |
| 19482 | 1920 | |
| 19933 | 1921 | |
| 23781 | 1921 | |
| 29942 | 1922 | |
| 34838 | 1923 | |
| 40644 | 1924 | |
| 48489 | 152342 | 1925 |
| 54853 | ||
| 67852 | 162852 | 1926 |
| 172051 | ||
| 79254 | 1927 | |
| 86687 | 1928 | |
| *192536 | 1027 | 1929 |
1st digit dropped |
||
| 98324 | 2982 | 1930 |
| 101622 | 7119 | 1931 |
| 105096 | 1932 | |
| 106546 | 1933 | |
| 108301 | 1934 | |
| 10758 | 111253 | 1935 |
| 14526 | 116551 | 1936 |
| 15396 | 118038 | 1937 |
| 18861 | 126998 | 1938 |
| 20563 | 132070 | 1939 |
| 23231 | 136040 | 1940 |
| 24572 | 140199 | 1941 |
| 26643 | 144455 | 1942 |
| 145322 | 1943 | |
| 1944 | ||
| 145352 | 1945 | |
| 154289 | 1946 | |
| 161520 | 1947 | |
| 165326 | 1948 | |
| 170395 | 1949 | |
| 172215 | 1950 | |
First Imperial |
172449 | |
| 175140 | 1951 | |
| 41693 | 179317 | 1952 |
| 45824 | 183125 | 1953 |
| 49586 | 187614 | 1954 |
| 193747 | 1955 | |
| 56162 | 196213 | 1956 |
| 66719 | 203809 | 1957 |
| 66727 | 201917 | 1958 |
| 70988 | 205377 | 1959 |
| 76224 | 209089 | 1960 |
| 81885 | 211675 | 1961 |
| 87850 | 213999 | 1962 |
| 218855 | 1963 | |
Selmer
| Serial Number | Year of Manufacture |
Modele 22 |
|
| 750 | 1922 |
Modele 26 |
|
| 4450 | 1926 |
| 10000 | 1929 |
Cigar Cutter (Super Sax) |
|
| 12000 | 1930 |
| 14000 | 1931 |
| 17000 | 1932 |
| 18000 | 1933 |
Radio Improved |
|
| 19000 | 1934 |
| 20000 | 1935 |
Balanced Action |
|
| 22000 | 1936 |
| 24000 | 1937 |
| 25000 | 1938 |
| 27000 | 1939 |
| 30000 | 1940 |
| 33000 | 1947 |
Super Action |
|
| 35000 | 1948 |
| 37000 | 1949 |
| 40000 | 1950 |
| 43000 | 1951 |
| 46000 | 1952 |
| 50000 | 1953 |
| 52000 | 1954 |
Mark VI |
|
| 57000 | 1955 |
| 62000 | 1956 |
| 66000 | 1957 |
| 71000 | 1958 |
| 76000 | 1959 |
| 81000 | 1960 |
| 90000 | 1961 |
| 94000 | 1962 |
| 103000 | 1963 |
| 110000 | 1964 |
| 120000 | 1965 |
| 129000 | 1966 |
| 137000 | 1967 |
| 149000 | 1968 |
| 160000 | 1969 |
| 171000 | 1970 |
| 182000 | 1971 |
| 192000 | 1972 |
| 204000 | 1973 |
| 218000 | 1974 |
| 231000 | 1975 |
Mark VII |
|
| 243000 | 1976 |
| 256000 | 1977 |
| 272000 | 1978 |
| 282000 | 1979 |
| 300000 | 1980 |
| 327300 | 1981 |
Super Action 80 |
|
| 340200 | 1982 |
| 353800 | 1983 |
| 366400 | 1984 |
| 378800 | 1985 |
| 391000 | 1986 |
Super Action 80 II |
|
| 406000 | 1987 |
KING
| 5000 | 1915 |
| 78500 | 1925 |
| 126000 | 1930 |
| 161000 | 1935 |
| 220000 | 1940 |
| 275000 | 1945 |
| 305000 | 1950 |
| 340000 | 1955 |
| 370000 | 1960 |
| 406500 | 1965 |
| 457500 | 1970 |
| 511500 | 1975 |
