GunSerialsWinchester Model 59 serial number range — what the records say
The Winchester Model 59 is a semi-automatic shotgun produced from 1959 to 1965, with approximately 82,085 manufactured.
- Produced:
- 1959–1965
- Action:
- semi-automatic
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 59 be from?
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 59 value: what it sells for at auction
We found 16 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 59 at Poulin Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $254 to $900.
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 59 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | Model 59 · 12 | Redding lot 676R | $370 |
| May 2026 | Model 59 · 12 | Redding lot 694R | $360 |
| Apr 2026 | Model 59 · 12 | Redding lot 161R | $260 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 59 | Redding lot 552R | $270 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 59 | Redding lot 476R | $550 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 59 | Amoskeag lot 2171 | $254 |
| Sep 2025 | Model 59 · 12 | Redding lot 45R | $900 |
| Aug 2025 | Model 59 · 12 | Redding lot 159R | $375 |
| Jun 2025 | Model 59 · 12 | Redding lot 312R | $280 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 59 | Amoskeag lot 2146 | $605 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 59 | Amoskeag lot 2105 | $726 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 59 | Redding lot 58R | $900 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 59 | Poulin lot 2425 | $272 |
| Nov 2024 | Model 59 | Amoskeag lot 2743 | $338 |
| Nov 2024 | Model 59 | Amoskeag lot 2218 | $254 |
| Nov 2023 | Model 59 | Amoskeag lot 2958 | $363 |
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 these dates come from
The records here give one serial range for the Winchester Model 59, from Proofhouse / oldguns.net table. A number can be placed within the model's production years, but this source cannot give a single year.
Source for this model: Published production range (oldguns.net / Blue Book)
Winchester Model 59 serial number range
The published serial range for the Model 59. The range covers the whole production period; it cannot identify one year.
Proofhouse / oldguns.net table
An online collection of estimated dates, mostly drawn from George Madis's reference books.
Cited as: Published production range (oldguns.net / Blue Book)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1959–1965 | through 82,085 |
- 1959–1965: This row covers the whole run. oldguns.net reports serial numbers passing 82,085, and the Blue Book gives 82,085 made. No year-by-year breakdown has been published.
What to know about Model 59 serial numbers
- No table has been published that turns a Model 59 serial number into a year. Winchester's own serial number reference has no usable table and points owners to the Winchester Arms Collectors Association, which lists a dating resource for this model. The lookup here can only tell you that a number falls inside the run.
- About 82,085 were made. Winchester's timeline introduces the Model 59 in 1959, when about 5,000 were test marketed from September onward. oldguns.net and the Blue Book date regular manufacture from 1960 to 1965. Most references give 1965 as the end, but one American Rifleman article says 1967.
- Versalite interchangeable choke tubes became available in 1961. Earlier guns have fixed-choke barrels. The Pigeon Grade dates from 1962.
- Receiver hunting scenes appear on Standard Grade guns too and do not identify a Pigeon Grade. The Win-Lite glass-wrapped barrel was colored to resemble blued steel, so appearance alone is not a reliable test.
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.
Factory record coverage for the Model 59
The Model 59 is not on the Cody Firearms Records Office’s May 2024 coverage sheet. Ask the office about current availability. The notes and sources on this page explain the other dating information we have.
Which Winchester models can be lettered, and what a letter shows →