Dating Your Martin: A Quick Reference

Use your guitar's serial number to identify its production year using the chart below. It's a quick way to trace your instrument’s place in Martin's rich history.

Year Last Serial Number
1898 8348
1899 8716
1900 9128
1901 9310
1902 9528
1903 9810
1904 9988
1905 10120
1906 10329
1907 10727
1908 10883
1909 11018
1910 11203
1911 11413
1912 11565
1913 11821
1914 12047
1915 12209
1916 12390
1917 12988
1918 13450
1919 14512
1920 15848
1921 16758
1922 17839
1923 19891
1924 22008
1925 24116
1926 28689
1927 34435
1928 37568
1929 40843
1930 45317
1931 49589
1932 52590
1933 55084
1934 58679
1935 61947
1936 65176
1937 68865
1938 71866
1939 74061
1940 76734
1941 80013
1942 83107
1943 86724
1944 90149
1945 93623
1946 98158
1947 103468
1948 108269
1949 112961
1950 117961
1951 122799
1952 128436
1953 134501
1954 141345
1955 147328
1956 153225
1957 159061
1958 165576
1959 171047
1960 175689
1961 181297
1962 187384
1963 193327
1964 199626
1965 207030
1966 217215
1967 230095
1968 241925
1969 256003
1970 271633
1971 294270
1972 313302
1973 333873
1974 353387
1975 371828
1976 388800
1977 399625
1978 407800
1979 419900
1980 430300
1981 436474
1982 439627
1983 446101
1984 453300
1985 460575
1986 468175
1987 476216
1988 483952
1989 493279
1990 503309
1991 512487
1992 522655
1993 535223
1994 551696
1995 570434
1996 592930
1997 624799
1998 668796
1999 724077
2000 780500
2001 845644
2002 916759*
2003 978706
2004 1042558
2005 1115862
2006 1197799
2007 1268091
2008 1337042
2009 1406715
2010 1473461
2011 1555767
2012 1656742
2013 1755536
2014 1857399
2015 1972129
2016 2076795
2017 2161732
2018 2258889
2019 2366880
2020 2454224
2021 2576415
2022 2711440
2023 2829083
2024 2935987

*Does not include serial numbers 900001 to 902908. These numbers were used on Sigma-Martins back in 1981-1982.

Dating Your Little Martin (LX) and Backpacker

Little Martin (LX)
Year Last Serial No.
2005 41279
2006 54016
2007 69850
2008 85266
2009 98332
2010 115197
2011 129934
2012 145612
2013 172822
2014 205052
2015 236580
2016 263886
2017 284726
2018 319828
2019 344677
2020 361282
Backpacker
Year Last Serial No.
1992-2006 178146
2007 188539
2008 195761
2009 203818
2010 211612
2011 220586
2012 229812
2013 239535
2014 249963
2015 260267
2016 267880
2017 274525
2018 280524
2019 288018
2020 293493

Dating Your Martin Mandolin

Year Last Serial No.
1895 23
1896 112
1897 153
1898 359
1899 577
1900 800
1901 881
1902 1171
1903 1348
1904 1507
1905 1669
1906 2026
1907 2357
1908 2510
1909 2786
1910 3098
1911 3431
1912 3847
1913 4162
1914 4462
1915 4767
1916 5007
1917 5752
1918 6370
1919 7237
1920 8761
1921 9627
1922 10245
1923 11020
1924 11809
1925 12520
1926 13359
1927 13833
1928 14170
1929 14630
1930 14892
1931 15290
1932 15476
1933 15528
1934 15729
1935 15887
1936 16156
1937 16437
1938 16580
1939 16747
1940 16957
1941 17263
1942 17405
1946 17641
1947 18303
1948 19078
1949 19559
1950 20065
1951 20496
1952 20902
1953 21452
1954 21952
1955 22254
1956 22629
1957 22985
1958 23111
1959 23262
1960 23512
1961 23663
1962 23938
1963 24139
1964 24339
1965 24439
1966 24564
1967 24639
1968 24839
1969 24989
1970 25039
1971 25139
1972 25239
1973 25339
1974 25679
1993 535223
1975 25895
1976 26070
1976 260020*
1977 26101
1979 26112
1980 26156
1981 26215
1982 26225
1983 26247
1984 26254
1985 26263
1986 26273
1987 26279
1988 26281
1989 26283
1990 26291
1991 26297
1991 509122*
1993 533213
  • 1976 Serial numbers 259996-260020 were also used.
  • 1991 C. F. Martin & Co. begins using one set of serial numbers for guitars & mandolins.
  • 1994-2002 Mandolins are custom order only.
  • 2002 Mandolin production ends.