GunSerialsWinchester Model 1890 (Model 90) serial numbers by year
John Browning's pump-action .22, widely used in shooting galleries. Regular production ended in 1932, but rifles were assembled from leftover parts until 1949.
- Produced:
- 1890–1932 (standard production); parts clean-up assembly through 1949
- Action:
- pump-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 90 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 90 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 1890s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (47), Morphy Auctions (25), Poulin Auctions (43), Redding Auction Services (27), and Amoskeag Auction Company (28) 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 | 22 | $1,292 – $5,434 | $2,469 | $552 – $11,750 |
| Curio & Reliccollector category, usually 50+ years old | 148 | $450 – $1,762 | $666 | $370 – $3,231 |
Curio & Relic: Rock Island Auction Company typical $2,938 (34 sales); Morphy Auctions typical $728 (24 sales); Poulin Auctions typical $574 (40 sales); Redding Auction Services typical $400 (24 sales); Amoskeag Auction Company typical $605 (26 sales).
Prices by caliber
The cartridge or gauge can change what a Model 1890 sells for. These rows use the 83 sales whose listing names one, with old and new names for the same cartridge counted together (the .30 WCF is the .30-30). They combine all ages.
| Caliber | Sales | Middle 50% of prices | Typical price | Middle 80% of prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .22 Short | 27 | $430 – $2,822 | $1,292 | $368 – $5,464 |
| .22 WRF | 25 | $588 – $3,231 | $881 | $370 – $5,170 |
Recent Model 1890 auction sales
A sample from each age group: sales near its typical price and the newest. Look up a serial number above to see only your gun's group. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.
| Sold | Gun | Auction company | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | Antique · Model 1890 · 22 WRF | Rock Island lot 1030 | $2,232 |
| Sep 2025 | Antique · Model 1890 · 22 Short | Morphy lot 2346 | $2,706 |
| Aug 2026 | Antique · Model 1890 · 22 Short | Rock Island lot 3065 | $4,406 |
| Nov 2025 | Curio & Relic · Model 1890 | Amoskeag lot 1599 | $665 |
| Dec 2025 | Curio & Relic · Model 1890 | Morphy lot 3334 | $660 |
| Aug 2026 | Curio & Relic · Model 1890 | Amoskeag lot 2907 | $665 |
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
On the lower tang, the flat strip of metal behind the trigger guard. From about serial 232,329 (1905), the number moved to the bottom front of the receiver. Third Model rifles, from serial 325,251 (about 1906–1908), carry the number in both places.
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 1890 come from factory record books held at the Cody Firearms Museum, and George Madis's reference books. 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: Madis / legacy starting-serial chronology · CFM/Polishing Room antique-cutoff year-end table
How long from numbering to shipping? Half the Model 1890 guns in our sample shipped within 30 days →
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:
- George Madis's published tables: 29 of 34 recorded years match the table year (33 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 1890 serial numbers by year
The full Model 1890 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 “estimate” is a figure its own source calls an estimate. 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: Madis / legacy starting-serial chronology
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1890 | 1 – 113 |
| 1891 | 114 – 8,620 |
| 1892 | 8,621 – 16,080 |
| 1893 | 16,081 – 19,988 |
| 1894 | 19,989 – 31,019 |
| 1895 | 31,020 – 38,254 |
| 1896 | 38,255 – 44,708 |
| 1897 | 44,709 – 54,905 |
| 1898approximate | 54,906 – 64,520 |
| 1899approximate | 64,521 – 78,803 |
| 1900 | 78,804 – 99,175 |
| 1901 | 99,176 – 124,968 |
| 1902 | 124,969 – 153,250 |
| 1903 | 153,251 – 185,605 |
| 1904 | 185,606 – 222,618 |
| 1905 | 222,619 – 257,614 |
| 1906 | 257,615 – 295,123 |
| 1907 | 295,124 – 336,832 |
| 1908 | 336,833 – 370,683 |
| 1909 | 370,684 – 400,261 |
| 1910 | 400,262 – 430,402 |
| 1911 | 430,403 – 458,099 |
| 1912 | 458,100 – 485,431 |
| 1913 | 485,432 – 513,773 |
| 1914 | 513,774 – 537,857 |
| 1915 | 537,858 – 558,129 |
| 1916 | 558,130 – 577,337 |
| 1917 | 577,338 – 596,045 |
| 1918 | 596,046 – 610,280 |
| 1919 | 610,281 – 637,644 |
| 1920 | 637,645 – 644,777 |
| 1921 | 644,778 – 648,760 |
| 1922 | 648,761 – 657,282 |
| 1923 | 657,283 – 668,816 |
| 1924 | 668,817 – 678,693 |
| 1925 | 678,694 – 689,855 |
| 1926estimate | 689,856 – 701,131 |
| 1927estimate | 701,132 – 713,070 |
| 1928estimate | 713,071 – 725,438 |
| 1929estimate | 725,439 – 736,210 |
| 1930estimate | 736,211 – 743,101 |
| 1931estimate | 743,102 – 747,265 |
| 1932estimate | 747,266 – 747,962 |
| 1933estimate | 747,963 – 748,951 |
| 1934estimate | 748,952 – 750,060 |
| 1935estimate | 750,061 – 751,088 |
| 1936estimate | 751,089 – 751,952 |
| 1937estimate | 751,953 – 751,995 |
| 1938estimate | 751,996 – 752,007 |
| 1939estimate | 752,008 – 752,025 |
| 1940estimate | 752,026 – 752,043 |
| 1941estimate | 752,044 |
- 1898: For the pre-1899 antique cutoff, George Madis's tables start 1899 at 64,521, which makes 64,520 the last number of 1898 under Madis. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 64,748 instead, 228 serials higher.
- 1899: This is George Madis's start-of-year number, and the cutoff in the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum differs. Madis's tables start 1899 at 64,521, which makes 64,520 the last number of 1898 under Madis. The Cody records give 64,748 instead, 228 serials higher.
- 1926–1940: George Madis's tables are not reliable after the merger of March 10, 1926. For a date after that, use the individual factory record for your gun.
- 1941: 752,044 is the last number in the older published table. George Madis's tables are not reliable after the merger of March 10, 1926. For a date after that, use the individual factory record for your gun.
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 antique-cutoff year-end table
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1890–1898sources differ | through 64,748 |
- 1890–1898: For the pre-1899 antique cutoff, George Madis's tables start 1899 at 64,521, which makes 64,520 the last number of 1898 under Madis. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 64,748 instead, 228 serials higher.
What to know about Model 1890 serial numbers
- George Madis's tables are not reliable after the merger of March 10, 1926. For a date after that, use the individual factory record for your gun.
- From serial 713,200 the Model 90 and the Model 06 shared one running sequence, through 846,022 on June 6, 1932. A number missing from one model was used by the other. It was not picked at random and it was not skipped.
- How production ended, from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum as read by the Winchester collectors' association: regular production stopped on June 6, 1932 at serial 846,022. From February 1933 Winchester assembled rifles now and then from leftover parts, in the shared Model 90 and Model 06 range 846,023 to 854,747, until July 20, 1942. Nothing was built between then and November 23, 1949, when the last two rifles, 854,746 and 854,747, were put together. George Madis's tables end at 752,044 in 1941, far below the numbers the factory actually reached after the two models were merged in 1926, so a serial number above 752,044 cannot be dated from Madis at all and needs the individual factory record.
- The block 20,000 to 29,999 was never used, and later numbers were skipped. The highest serial is therefore not the production total.
- After the Model 1906 came out, an A below the serial number marked a Model 1890 receiver and a B marked a Model 1906 receiver. The Cody Firearms Museum says these nearby letters are not part of the number you search on.
- For the pre-1899 antique cutoff, George Madis's tables start 1899 at 64,521, which makes 64,520 the last number of 1898 under Madis. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 64,748 instead, 228 serials higher.
- The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum reach at least 854,747, but the numbers they hold are thin and do not run in order.
Related models, and why
These models share a number sequence, replaced this model, or look similar. Each link explains the connection.
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 1890 serial numbers: 1–19,999; 30,000–854,747. 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 →