GunSerialsWinchester Model 1901 serial numbers by year
The Winchester Model 1901 is a lever-action shotgun produced from 1899 to 1931, offered exclusively in 10 gauge to handle smokeless powder loads.
- Produced:
- 1899–1931
- 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 1901 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 low and high of recent auction sales.
Winchester Model 1901 value: what it sells for at auction
We found 11 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 1901 at Rock Island Auction Company, Morphy Auctions, Poulin Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $847 to $14,100.
That is too few sales for a typical price, so we list each one instead. A price table needs at least 40 sales. With only a few sales, one gun in unusual condition can set the high or the low.
We leave out listings described as deluxe, special-order, engraved, restored, or commemorative, and other exceptions in the value guide. Wear, repairs, original parts, and factory upgrades can make a particular gun worth more or less. These sales are a comparison, not an appraisal of your gun.
Every Model 1901 sale we counted
Newest first. Their features and condition may differ from your gun. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.
| Sold | Gun | Auction company | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Model 1901 | Amoskeag lot 386 | $1,089 |
| Apr 2026 | Model 1901 | Poulin lot 3037 | $915 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 1901 | Amoskeag lot 474 | $3,146 |
| Dec 2025 | Model 1901 · 10 | Rock Island lot 22 | $14,100 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 1901 | Amoskeag lot 1556 | $1,936 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 1901 | Amoskeag lot 1429 | $1,452 |
| May 2025 | Model 1901 | Morphy lot 3114 | $2,706 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 1901 · 10 | Redding lot 149R | $1,025 |
| Feb 2025 | Model 1901 · 10 | Rock Island lot 125 | $1,528 |
| Aug 2024 | Model 1901 · 10 | Rock Island lot 1053 | $2,115 |
| Nov 2023 | Model 1901 | Amoskeag lot 2080 | $847 |
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 (as on the Model 1887).
Where these dates come from
The table on this page comes from one source: Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum). Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Sources for this model: CFM/Polishing Room serial span · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 1901 serial numbers by year
The full Model 1901 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.
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 serial span
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1899–1931 | 64,856 – 78,356 |
- 1899–1931: Production began on June 29, 1899 and ended on November 5, 1931. The serial numbers carried on from the Model 1887 sequence.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1904estimate | 64,856 – 64,860 |
| 1905estimate | 64,861 – 66,453 |
| 1906estimate | 66,454 – 67,486 |
| 1907estimate | 67,487 – 68,424 |
| 1908estimate | 68,425 – 69,197 |
| 1909estimate | 69,198 – 70,009 |
| 1910estimate | 70,010 – 70,753 |
| 1911estimate | 70,754 – 71,441 |
| 1912estimate | 71,442 – 72,167 |
| 1913estimate | 72,168 – 72,764 |
| 1914estimate | 72,765 – 73,202 |
| 1915estimate | 73,203 – 73,509 |
| 1916estimate | 73,510 – 73,770 |
| 1917estimate | 73,771 – 74,027 |
| 1918estimate | 74,028 – 74,311 |
| 1919estimate | 74,312 – 74,872 |
| 1920estimate | 74,873 – 77,000 |
- 1904–1920: Winchester's own list is the only year-by-year source for this model, and the list itself says some of its figures are estimates. The factory records give only the 1899 to 1931 span.
What to know about Model 1901 serial numbers
- The Model 1901 carried on the Model 1887 serial sequence after 64,855. The name does not mean production began in 1901.
- Lower numbers belong to the earlier Model 1887 sequence.
- No Model 1901 dates from before 1899. Production began after January 1, 1899.
- No reliable year-by-year table was found in the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum. Do not even out or extend the table by George Madis and OldGuns, because its entries conflict with the last serial number in the surviving records of when serial numbers were stamped.
- George Madis's tables begin at 64,856, but the published yearly table runs on past 78,356, and its starting numbers and counts do not agree with each other. Do not use it in place of the last serial number in the surviving records of when serial numbers were stamped.
- 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.
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 1901 serial numbers: 1–78,356 (shared with the Model 1887). 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 →