Winchester Model 21 serial numbers by year
Winchester’s premium side-by-side, a boxlock double built to order. Regular production ended in 1959 and the Custom Shop continued it to 1993.
- Produced:
- 1931–1959 (standard production), 1960–1993 (Custom Shop)
- Action:
- break-action
What year was your Model 21 made?
Winchester Model 21 value: what it sells for at auction
135 Winchester Model 21s sold one gun to a lot at Rock Island Auction Company (106) and Morphy Auctions (29) between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. The table groups them the way the auction house coded each lot: antique, curio and relic, or modern. Half of the guns in each row sold inside the “most sell between” range; a quarter sold below it and a quarter above. Eight in ten sold inside the wider “nearly all between” range.
Standard guns only. Left out: deluxe and special-order guns (checkered or fancy wood, pistol grips, odd barrel lengths, special sights), engraved, inscribed, presentation, and commemorative pieces, and lots of two or more guns. A deluxe or special-order gun sells for more than these figures, often several times more. Condition and originality drive most of the spread inside a row.
Enter your serial number above and this section picks out the row for your gun’s era and lists the most recent sales like it.
| Era | Sales | Most sell between | Typical | Nearly all between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curio & Relicat least 50 years old at the time of sale | 125 | $4,112 – $7,050 | $4,994 | $3,231 – $9,753 |
| Modernless than 50 years old at the time of sale | 10 | $10,869 – $15,569 | $12,338 | $6,324 – $23,212 |
These are sold prices for standard guns, not an appraisal. Prices realized as published by each house after the sale; both houses' figures include the buyer's premium. A dealer buying for resale will offer less than these figures; a private sale between collectors often lands near the typical price for the gun’s condition. If your gun has factory upgrades, a factory letter that confirms them is what moves it above these numbers. Updated after each major sale. The full picture, model by model →
Where the serial number is
Serial numbers are found on the bottom of the receiver (water table area) and on the barrel flats.
Where these dates come from
Winchester's original factory records do not cover every model. For the Model 21, the dates come from one published source, George Madis's published tables. It was typed up long after production, so treat any year as a close estimate rather than a factory record.
Source for this model: Published Madis Table (1930–1941 Only)
Winchester Model 21 serial numbers by year
The full Model 21 serial number chart, one table for each published source. Each row gives the serial numbers that source assigns to a year. Find the row your number falls in.
George Madis's published tables
From George Madis's Winchester books, a collector reference compiled decades after production. The figures are year-end estimates, not counts from the factory books.
Cited as: Published Madis Table (1930–1941 Only)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1930–1931 | 1 – 615 |
| 1932 | 616 – 946 |
| 1933 | 947 – 1,638 |
| 1934 | 1,639 – 2,599 |
| 1935 | 2,600 – 5,397 |
| 1936 | 5,398 – 6,648 |
| 1937 | 6,649 – 7,926 |
| 1938 | 7,927 – 8,753 |
| 1939 | 8,754 – 9,609 |
| 1940 | 9,610 – 10,474 |
| 1941 | from 10,475 |
- 1930–1931, 1932–1941: This table is only a rough guide to early production. It will not give you an exact completion date.
What to know about Model 21 serial numbers
- A Model 21 numbered after 1968 may have a W in front of its serial number. That W comes from Winchester's later prefix system.
- Model 21s were not finished in serial number order. The serial number alone will not tell you reliably when a gun was completed.
- George Madis's published table is only a rough guide to early production. It will not give you an exact completion date.
- The final-inspection records now at the Cody Firearms Museum are incomplete. Their coverage of 23–36,373 shows how far the records go, not the full production range.
- 38,183 is the highest number seen in catalogued guns. It is not an official ceiling for production.
Other Winchester shotguns
Winchester shotguns that never had a serial number
These have no serial number to look up. Their pages explain why, and how to date one from its features.
Want proof on paper? Order a factory letter
The Cody Firearms Museum holds Winchester’s original records and, for a fee, will search them for your serial number and send you a letter with the recorded dates and details. It is the closest thing to the original factory entry you can own, and it is what auction houses and appraisers accept.
Its records cover Model 21 serial numbers: 23–36,373 (records incomplete; check with the office before ordering). A number outside that coverage cannot be lettered.
Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →