GunSerialsWinchester Model 53 serial number range — what the records say
A version of the Model 1892 introduced in 1924 in .25-20, .32-20, and .44-40. Its serial numbers share the Model 1892 sequence.
- Produced:
- 1924–1932
- 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.
Which years could your Model 53 be from?
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 53 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 45 Winchester Model 53s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (15), Morphy Auctions (12), Poulin Auctions (11), Redding Auction Services (3), and Amoskeag Auction Company (4) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curio & Reliccollector category, usually 50+ years old | 45 | $999 – $2,440 | $1,708 | $847 – $3,995 |
Recent Model 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2024 | Model 53 | Poulin lot 4114 | $1,708 |
| Oct 2024 | Model 53 · 44 WCF | Rock Island lot 894 | $1,762 |
| Oct 2024 | Model 53 · 44 WCF | Rock Island lot 837 | $1,762 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 53 · 25-20 WCF | Rock Island lot 3459 | $4,112 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 53 | Poulin lot 4150 | $2,440 |
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 front of the receiver, as on the parent Model 1892.
Where these dates come from
The records here give one serial range for the Winchester Model 53, from Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum). A number can be placed within the model's production years, but this source cannot give a single year.
Sources for this model: CFM/Polishing Room · Madis
Winchester Model 53 serial number range
The published serial range for the Model 53. The range covers the whole production period; it cannot identify one year.
The tables agree with each other for every serial range. 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. A row marked “record only” is printed for the record and is not used to date a number; its note says why.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1924–1927 | 1 – 10,874 |
| 1927–1932estimate | 962,189 – 1,007,405 |
- 1924–1927: This range belongs to the Model 53 alone. The first 10,874 Model 53s used their own serial sequence.
- 1927–1932: This range is shared with the Model 92. The final 4,244 were numbered somewhere within approximately 962,189 to 1,007,405.
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
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1924–1932approximate | 1 – 10,874 |
| 1924–1932record only | 10,875 – 15,118 |
- 1924–1932: George Madis's tables print an unbroken Model 53 sequence through 15,118. This part matches the factory record's own Model 53 range, 1 to 10,874.
- 1924–1932: George Madis's tables print an unbroken Model 53 sequence through 15,118. Numbers 10,875 to 15,118 never existed as a separate Model 53 table. A number here is a Model 92 number; see the Model 1892 page.
What to know about Model 53 serial numbers
- Above serial 10,874 there is no Model 53 only sequence to date or identify the gun from. You have to use the Model 92 ledger instead.
- Official production ended in 1932, but the older published yearly counts report 486 more guns over the following nine years. The year a receiver was made, the year the gun was assembled, and the year it shipped can all be different.
- 15,118 is the highest number set aside for this model. It is not a confirmed count of guns shipped.
- Winchester's published yearly production list is not a table of the last serial number of each year.
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 53 serial numbers: 1–10,874; later rifles numbered in the Model 92 sequence. 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 →