GunSerialsWinchester Model 1887 (Model 87) serial numbers by year
Winchester’s first shotgun, a lever action designed by John Browning in 10 and 12 gauge. The factory records date it from May 1887 to March 1899; Madis assigns the whole 1–64,855 sequence by the end of 1898.
- Produced:
- 1887–1899
- 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 87 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.
Winchester Model 87 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 47 Winchester Model 1887s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (17), Morphy Auctions (5), Poulin Auctions (8), Redding Auction Services (6), and Amoskeag Auction Company (11) 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 | 45 | $1,098 – $2,115 | $1,350 | $934 – $3,159 |
Recent Model 1887 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | Model 1887 · 12 | Redding lot 445 | $1,350 |
| Nov 2024 | Model 1887 | Amoskeag lot 414 | $1,331 |
| Nov 2023 | Model 1887 | Amoskeag lot 1404 | $1,331 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 1887 | Poulin lot 4087 | $3,050 |
| Jul 2026 | Model 1887 · 12 | Redding lot 714 | $1,150 |
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
Bottom of the receiver, forward of the lever.
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 1887 come from factory record books held at the Cody Firearms Museum, George Madis's reference books, and Winchester's customer-service list. These sources can give different years for the same serial number. Original records usually provide stronger evidence than later estimates. Check the notes to see whether a source dates numbering, assembly, or another step.
Madis vs. factory dates shows examples from models whose tables disagree on this site.
Sources for this model: Legacy Winchester/Madis SN (Up To) · CFM/Polishing Room · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
How accurate are these tables?
We compared numbering dates from published factory letters with the table years. Each table is checked only against serials it covers, so the sample sizes differ. Here is how often each table matched the year in those records:
- Winchester's own customer-service list (2012): 4 of 5 recorded years match the table year (5 match or differ by no more than one year).
These checks describe the letters in our sample, not every gun made. Exceptions to number order and gaps or errors in records can affect individual dates.
Winchester Model 1887 serial numbers by year
The full Model 1887 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.
A row marked “sources differ” is a serial range that another table on this page dates to a different year. A row marked “approximate” is a figure we trust less than the rest of its table: a boundary the sources put a few serials apart, or a figure a later record corrects.
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: Legacy Winchester/Madis SN (Up To)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1887 | 1 – 7,431 |
| 1888–1890 | 7,432 – 29,105 |
| 1891–1895 | 29,106 – 58,289 |
| 1896–1898approximate | 58,290 – 64,855 |
- 1887: This was the first year of production.
- 1896–1898: This year comes from the older published tables. It is not the legal pre-1899 antique cutoff, the line federal law uses to treat a gun as an antique. The older Winchester and George Madis table assigns the whole Model 1887 range through serial 64,855 to 1898. The original factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum place serials 64,843 to 64,855 in 1899.
Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum)
Drawn from Winchester's original factory records. Numbering records date when serial numbers were stamped. The gun could be finished or shipped later; see this model's notes.
Cited as: CFM/Polishing Room
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1887–1898approximate | 1 – 64,842 |
| 1899sources differ | 64,843 – 64,855 |
- 1887–1898: The pre-1899 antique cutoff, the line federal law uses to treat a gun as an antique, falls at 64,842 and below according to the original factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum. George Madis's tables in effect treat 64,855 as the cutoff. The Cody records give 64,842.
- 1899: The original factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum place serials 64,843 to 64,855 in 1899. The Winchester collectors' association dates the last Model 1887 production to March 1899. Before you treat a gun in this range as an antique, order a factory letter or a serial-number search from the Cody Firearms Records Office to settle the actual date of manufacture.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1887 | 1 – 7,431 |
| 1888 | 7,432 – 22,408 |
| 1889 | 22,409 – 25,673 |
| 1890 | 25,674 – 29,105 |
| 1891 | 29,106 – 38,541 |
| 1892 | 38,542 – 49,763 |
| 1893 | 49,764 – 54,367 |
| 1894 | 54,368 – 56,849 |
| 1895 | 56,850 – 58,289 |
| 1896 | 58,290 – 60,175 |
| 1897 | 60,176 – 63,952 |
| 1898 | 63,953 – 64,855 |
What to know about Model 1887 serial numbers
- The Winchester collectors' association reports that Model 1887 production continued until March 1899, even though the yearly table in George Madis's tables assigns the whole 1 to 64,855 range by the end of 1898.
- George Madis's tables in effect treat 64,855 as falling before 1899. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 64,842 instead. Under those original records the last 13 Model 1887 serials, 64,843 to 64,855, come after 1898.
- Numbers above 64,855 belong mainly to the Model 1901, the model that followed. The combined coverage in the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum is not a Model 1887 total.
- The Model 1901 carries the sequence on from 64,856. The older published tables report a little overlap around the changeover.
- 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's own customer-service list says that no guns were made during the last few years of this model, and that it was therefore discontinued in 1901.
Related models, and why
These models share a number sequence, replaced this model, or look similar. Each link explains the connection.
Winchester shotguns 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 1887 serial numbers: 1–78,356 (shared with the Model 1901). 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 →