GunSerialsWinchester Model 101 serial numbers by year
Winchester Model 101: over/under, break-open shotgun, produced 1963–1987.
- Produced:
- 1963–1987
- Action:
- break-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 101 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 101 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 54 Winchester Model 101s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (24), Morphy Auctions (14), Poulin Auctions (4), Amoskeag Auction Company (11), and Redding Auction Services (1) between Sep 2021 and Sep 2026. There were too few sales of this model in the last three years, so these figures cover 5 years. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modernlisted as modern by the auction company | 47 | $1,175 – $1,976 | $1,528 | $775 – $3,204 |
Recent Model 101 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2022 | Model 101 · 12 | Rock Island lot 6805 | $1,528 |
| Oct 2022 | Model 101 · 20 | Rock Island lot 4980 | $1,528 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 101 | Amoskeag lot 2027 | $1,452 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 101 | Amoskeag lot 2366 | $508 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 101 | Amoskeag lot 406 | $1,452 |
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
Top tang of the receiver, under the top lever.
Where these dates come from
The table on this page comes from one source: Blue Book of Gun Values table. Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Source for this model: Blue Book serialization chart (12 gauge)
Winchester Model 101 serial numbers by year
The full Model 101 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.
Blue Book of Gun Values table
Approximate year-end figures as printed in the Blue Book of Gun Values.
Cited as: Blue Book serialization chart (12 gauge)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 50,000 – 50,499 |
| 1960 | 50,500 – 51,999 |
| 1961 | 52,000 – 52,499 |
| 1962 | 52,500 – 55,999 |
| 1963 | 56,000 – 63,499 |
| 1964 | 63,500 – 75,499 |
| 1965 | 75,500 – 91,499 |
| 1966 | 91,500 – 102,999 |
| 1967 | 103,000 – 110,499 |
| 1968 | K110,500 – K117,999 |
| 1969 | K118,000 – K129,499 |
| 1970 | K129,500 – K140,499 |
| 1971 | K140,500 – K145,500 |
- 1971: This row runs up to the published May 1971 checkpoint.
What to know about Model 101 serial numbers
- The Blue Book chart for 12-gauge guns ends at K145,500 in May 1971.
- You cannot date a 12-gauge gun numbered above that published checkpoint with any certainty.
- That checkpoint does not apply to the 20-gauge, 28-gauge and .410 guns. They have their own separate, higher-numbered serial sequences.
- Production carried on through 1987, so the full serial range runs well beyond 200,000.
- Pigeon Grade guns have a separate PK in front of the serial number. Do not look them up in this table, which is for ordinary Model 101s.
- The published serialization chart starts at 1959, four years before the catalog introduction of 1963. The rows are kept as printed. Treat a 1959 to 1962 date as the chart's figure, not a confirmed production year.
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 101
The Model 101 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 →