GunSerialsWinchester Model 1866 (Model 66) serial numbers by year
Known as the “Yellow Boy,” this brass-framed lever-action rifle developed from the Henry rifle. Its serial numbers continue the Henry sequence, so the table starts at 12,476.
- Produced:
- 1866–1898
- Action:
- lever-action
New to gun terms? Start here
- Model:
- The name of the gun design, such as Model 94. A model name that looks like a year does not tell you when your gun was made.
- Serial number:
- The number stamped on an individual gun. Include letters that are part of the number. A separate letter stamped above it, like the Model 97's C, D or E, is a different marking.
- Receiver:
- The main metal body just behind the barrel. The receiver ring is its front section, where the barrel joins it.
- Tang:
- A strip of metal extending from the receiver into the stock. The lower tang runs underneath, behind the trigger.
- Stock:
- The part you hold against your shoulder, usually made of wood on older Winchesters.
- Forearm or forend:
- The part under the barrel where your forward hand holds the gun.
- Action:
- The mechanism that loads and removes cartridges. Names such as lever action, pump action, and bolt action describe how it works.
- Caliber or gauge:
- The ammunition size or type a gun is designed to use. This marking is different from the model and serial number.
- Takedown:
- A version designed to separate into major sections for storage. A takedown joint is where those sections meet.
- Proof mark:
- A factory testing mark, such as Winchester's oval WP stamp. It is not a serial number or a date code.
- Peep or aperture sight:
- A rear sight with a small hole to look through. A hooded front sight has a cover around it.
What year was your Model 66 made?
Need help finding the serial number?
Look up a serial number and print a one-page record sheet: the date and its sources, the status by age, the model in brief, and the auction price range.
Does the barrel say Made in Japan, or does the serial number have letters in the middle? Then it is a modern reissue with its own numbers. How to tell an original from a reissue.
Winchester Model 66 value: what it sells for at auction
Enter your serial number above to highlight the price categories that fit the estimated date and see recent sales of this model in those categories.
These prices come from 170 Winchester Model 1866s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (112), Morphy Auctions (26), Poulin Auctions (24), Redding Auction Services (2), and Amoskeag Auction Company (6) between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. The age-group rows use the auction companies' categories: antique, curio and relic, or modern.
The typical price is the middle price, also called the median. Half sold for more and half for less. The middle 50% range leaves out the lowest quarter and highest quarter of prices. The wider 80% range leaves out the lowest tenth and highest tenth.
We leave out listings described as deluxe, special-order, engraved, restored, or commemorative, and other exceptions in the value guide. Commemoratives are priced on their own page. Wear, repairs, original parts, and factory upgrades can make a particular gun worth more or less. These figures are a comparison, not an appraisal of your gun.
| Category | Sales | Middle 50% of prices | Typical price | Middle 80% of prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antiquemade before 1899 | 170 | $4,406 – $8,812 | $5,944 | $3,657 – $13,389 |
Antique: Rock Island Auction Company typical $6,462 (112 sales); Morphy Auctions typical $4,920 (26 sales); Poulin Auctions typical $5,468 (24 sales).
Prices by version
Sales whose listing names a version, grouped by that version, such as rifle or carbine (a shorter rifle). These rows combine all ages.
| Version | Sales | Middle 50% of prices | Typical price | Middle 80% of prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbine | 78 | $4,444 – $9,300 | $5,882 | $3,620 – $13,512 |
| Rifle | 70 | $5,042 – $8,744 | $6,462 | $4,085 – $14,218 |
| Musket | 21 | $3,600 – $5,280 | $4,235 | $3,525 – $10,575 |
Recent Model 1866 auction sales
Sales near the typical price and the newest. Their features and condition may differ from your gun. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.
| Sold | Gun | Auction company | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | Model 1866 · Rifle | Morphy lot 1332 | $6,000 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 1866 · Rifle · 44 Henry RF | Rock Island lot 3090 | $5,875 |
| Aug 2024 | Model 1866 · Rifle · 44 RF | Rock Island lot 1035 | $5,875 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 1866 · Musket · 44 Henry RF | Rock Island lot 3048 | $18,800 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 1866 · Carbine · 44 Henry RF | Rock Island lot 3037 | $4,700 |
Prices are in US dollars and include the buyer’s premium, the auction company’s fee added to the winning bid, where the house charges one; Redding charges none. They are not the amount the seller receives. A dealer’s offer or private sale price may differ. The full picture, model by model →
Where the serial number is
The position varies by version. On First and early Second Models, it is hidden on the side of the lower tang. On later Second and Third Models, it is visible underneath behind the trigger. On Fourth Models, it is farther back between the lever latch and the tang screw.
Where these dates come from
The table on this page comes from one source: George Madis's published tables. Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Sources for this model: Madis model variation ranges · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 1866 serial numbers by year
The full Model 1866 serial number chart, one table for each source available here. Each row gives the numbers that source assigns to a year. Both the first and last numbers are included.
The tables agree with each other for every serial range. A row marked “estimate” is a figure its own source calls an estimate.
George Madis's published tables
George Madis compiled Winchester reference books years after production. His tables estimate the last serial number reached each year.
Cited as: Madis model variation ranges
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1866–1867estimate | 12,476 – 15,578 |
| 1867–1869estimate | 15,579 – 25,000 |
| 1869–1878estimate | 25,001 – 149,000 |
| 1878–1898estimate | 149,001 – 170,100 |
- 1866–1867: This is the approximate serial range and the approximate years for the First Model.
- 1867–1869: This is the approximate serial range and the approximate years for the Second Model.
- 1869–1878: This is the approximate serial range and the approximate years for the Third Model.
- 1878–1898: This is the approximate serial range and the approximate years for the Fourth Model. The final serial is disputed. George Madis's tables end the sequence at about 170,100, while the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum reach 170,101, one number higher.
Winchester's own customer-service list (2012)
A list Winchester prepared to answer owners' questions. It combines records and estimates, as the list itself explains.
Cited as: Winchester customer-service list (2012)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1866 | 12,476 – 14,813 |
| 1867 | 14,814 – 15,578 |
| 1868 | 15,579 – 19,768 |
| 1869 | 19,769 – 29,516 |
| 1870 | 29,517 – 52,527 |
| 1871 | 52,528 – 88,184 |
| 1872 | 88,185 – 109,784 |
| 1873 | 109,785 – 118,401 |
| 1874 | 118,402 – 125,038 |
| 1875 | 125,039 – 125,965 |
| 1876 | 125,966 – 131,907 |
| 1877 | 131,908 – 148,207 |
| 1878 | 148,208 – 150,493 |
| 1879 | 150,494 – 152,201 |
| 1880 | 152,202 – 154,379 |
| 1881 | 154,380 – 156,107 |
| 1882 | 156,108 – 159,513 |
| 1883 | 159,514 – 162,376 |
| 1884 | 162,377 – 163,649 |
| 1885 | 163,650 – 163,664 |
| 1886 | 163,665 – 165,071 |
| 1887 | 165,072 – 165,912 |
| 1888 | 165,913 – 167,155 |
| 1889 | 167,156 – 167,401 |
| 1890 | 167,402 – 167,702 |
| 1891 | 167,703 – 169,003 |
| 1893 | 169,004 – 169,007 |
| 1894 | 169,008 – 169,011 |
| 1897 | 169,012 – 169,015 |
| 1898 | 169,016 – 170,100 |
What to know about Model 1866 serial numbers
- There is no single year-by-year serial number table for the Model 1866 that everyone accepts. Sources vary slightly.
- George Madis's tables give quantities for each variation that add up to about 192,600. That total does not match the serial ranges or either reported final serial. Do not treat those quantities as settled counts for each variation.
- Henry rifle numbers overlap Model 1866 numbers during the changeover, so a final serial is not a clean count of Model 1866 production.
- Numbers 174,100 and above were reportedly given to the repair department, not to ordinary production.
- Letters at or near an early Winchester serial number are not part of the number when you search the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum.
- Every original Model 1866 counts as an antique under the pre-1899 antique cutoff. The last reported production was in 1898.
- Winchester's own customer-service list is a retyped compilation, not the original records. The list itself says that no complete original serial record from 1866 onward is known to exist, and that some of its figures are estimates.
Winchester rifles usually made without serial numbers
These models usually have no serial number. Their pages explain the exceptions and how their features may help estimate age.
Need more detail? Check for factory records
The Cody Firearms Records Office can check for surviving records for your serial number. For a fee, it can issue a letter reporting what they say. Some records contain only dates; others also describe the gun’s original features.
The office’s May 2024 coverage sheet lists these Model 1866 serial numbers: 124,995–170,101, plus a few scattered early numbers. Check current availability with the office before ordering; a listed range does not guarantee a record for every number.
Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →