GunSerialsWinchester Model 88 serial numbers by year
A lever-action rifle made regularly from 1955 to 1973, with assembly from leftover parts reported until 1976. About 284,000 were made.
- Produced:
- 1955–1973 (parts cleanup to 1976)
- 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 88 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 88 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 104 Winchester Model 88s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (6), Morphy Auctions (33), Poulin Auctions (9), Redding Auction Services (40), and Amoskeag Auction Company (16) 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 | 103 | $938 – $2,075 | $1,210 | $777 – $3,585 |
Curio & Relic: Morphy Auctions typical $1,200 (33 sales); Redding Auction Services typical $1,362 (40 sales).
Recent Model 88 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | Model 88 | Amoskeag lot 1418 | $1,210 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 88 | Poulin lot 2193 | $1,210 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 88 | Redding lot 358R | $1,200 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 88 | Amoskeag lot 2076 | $786 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 88 | Amoskeag lot 555 | $786 |
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 receiver; reported on the underside or side depending on production.
Where these dates come from
The table on this page comes from one source: Winchester's own customer-service list (2012). Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Source for this model: Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 88 serial numbers by year
The full Model 88 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.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1955 | 1 – 18,378 |
| 1956 | 18,379 – 36,756 |
| 1957 | 36,757 – 55,134 |
| 1958 | 55,135 – 73,512 |
| 1959 | 73,513 – 91,890 |
| 1960 | 91,891 – 110,268 |
| 1961 | 110,269 – 128,651 |
| 1962 | 128,652 – 139,838 |
| 1963 | 139,839 – 148,858 |
| 1964 | 148,859 – 160,307 |
| 1965 | 160,308 – 162,699 |
| 1966 | 162,700 – 192,595 |
| 1967 | 192,596 – 212,416 |
| 1968 | 212,417 – 230,199 |
| 1969 | 230,200 – 239,899 |
| 1969 | H230,200 – H239,899 |
| 1970 | H239,900 – H258,229 |
| 1971 | H258,230 – H266,784 |
| 1972 | H266,785 – H279,014 |
| 1973 | H279,015 – H283,718 |
- 1969: Winchester's own list prints the last 1969 number as H239,899. George Madis's table starts 1969 at 230,200 with no letter, and the H began in 1970. So 1969 numbers are listed here both with and without the H.
What to know about Model 88 serial numbers
- 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.
- George Madis's table starts 1969 at 230,200 with no letter and 1970 at H239,900. A 1969 gun may carry no letter, even though Winchester's own list shows an H for that year. Keep the H when it is stamped on the gun.
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.
Factory record coverage for the Model 88
The Model 88 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 →