How do I date a Martin guitar from the serial number?

Find which year's block the number falls into. Martin has numbered its guitars in one unbroken sequence since 1898 and publishes the last serial issued each year, so dating is arithmetic rather than interpretation. Nothing is encoded in the number itself.

Where is the serial number on a Martin guitar?

Stamped on the neck block inside the body, visible through the soundhole when you look up towards the neck. The model designation is stamped directly above it, and confusing the two is the most common Martin identification error.

Why does my Martin lookup show two years?

The serial sits close to a year boundary. Martin publishes year-end totals, so an instrument numbered in late December may well have been finished or shipped the following January. Where a number is well inside a year's block there is no such doubt.

Can I date a Martin ukulele or mandolin with the guitar table?

No. Ukuleles, mandolins and other Martin instruments were numbered in entirely separate sequences. Running one against the guitar table produces a confident-looking answer that means nothing.

Serial number lookup

Martin serial number lookup

Look up a Martin serial against the company's published year-end figures. Martin has numbered its guitars in one unbroken sequence since 1898, which makes them the most reliably datable instruments here.

How Martin numbering works

Martin does not encode anything in its serial numbers. There is no year digit, no factory code and no month — just one continuous sequence that began at 8,349 in 1898 and has been running ever since. Dating a Martin means finding which year's block of numbers your instrument falls into.

That simplicity is why Martin dating is the most dependable in this reference. The company publishes the last serial number issued in each year, so the lookup is arithmetic rather than interpretation. The only real caveat is at the edges: those are year-end totals, and an instrument numbered in late December was often shipped the following January. Where a serial sits close to a boundary, we show the neighbouring year too.

Two things the sequence does not cover. Martin ukuleles, mandolins and other instruments were numbered in separate series that this table cannot date. And since the late 1990s some models have been built at Martin's Navojoa plant in Mexico while sharing the same numbers, so the serial dates the instrument without establishing where it was made.

Key facts

One sequence since 1898: Beginning at 8,349. Nothing before that is covered.
Year-end figures: Martin publishes the last number issued each year, and dating works backwards from that.
Model stamped above: The neck block carries the model designation directly above the serial, which is the fastest way to confirm what you have.
Guitars only: Ukuleles and mandolins used entirely separate sequences.

What goes wrong

Reading the model stamp as part of the serial. They sit together on the neck block and are separate numbers.
Treating a year-end figure as a hard cut-off. Instruments near a boundary can belong to either year.
Assuming a recent serial means Nazareth. The X Series and some Road Series models are built in Mexico under the same sequence.
Trying to date a ukulele or mandolin against the guitar table. It will produce a confident-looking answer that means nothing.

Formats this lookup reads

Every format below has been sourced, documented and covered by tests before shipping. Formats we cannot verify are deliberately absent.

Serial formats supported for Martin
Format	Period	Confidence	Reviewed
Sequential serial number (1898 onwards)	1898–2020	high	29 July 2026
Serial beyond the published table	2021–2030	low	29 July 2026

Martin serial number reference

Every format below is the same data the lookup above matches against. 2 formats are supported for Martin, and these tables set out what each one records.

Martin guitar serial numbers by year, 1898 onwards

Martin guitar serial numbers by year, 1898 onwards
Year	First serial	Last serial
1898	8,349	8,348
1899	8,349	8,716
1900	8,717	9,128
1901	9,129	9,310
1902	9,311	9,528
1903	9,529	9,810
1904	9,811	9,988
1905	9,989	10,120
1906	10,121	10,329
1907	10,330	10,727
1908	10,728	10,883
1909	10,884	11,018
1910	11,019	11,203
1911	11,204	11,413
1912	11,414	11,565
1913	11,566	11,821
1914	11,822	12,047
1915	12,048	12,209
1916	12,210	12,390
1917	12,391	12,988
1918	12,989	13,450
1919	13,451	14,512
1920	14,513	15,848
1921	15,849	16,758
1922	16,759	17,839
1923	17,840	19,891
1924	19,892	22,008
1925	22,009	24,116
1926	24,117	28,689
1927	28,690	34,435
1928	34,436	37,568
1929	37,569	40,843
1930	40,844	45,317
1931	45,318	49,589
1932	49,590	52,590
1933	52,591	55,084
1934	55,085	58,679
1935	58,680	61,947
1936	61,948	65,176
1937	65,177	68,865
1938	68,866	71,866
1939	71,867	74,061
1940	74,062	76,734
1941	76,735	80,013
1942	80,014	83,107
1943	83,108	86,724
1944	86,725	90,149
1945	90,150	93,623
1946	93,624	98,158
1947	98,159	103,468
1948	103,469	108,269
1949	108,270	112,961
1950	112,962	117,961
1951	117,962	122,799
1952	122,800	128,436
1953	128,437	134,501
1954	134,502	141,345
1955	141,346	147,328
1956	147,329	152,775
1957	152,776	159,061
1958	159,062	165,576
1959	165,577	171,047
1960	171,048	175,689
1961	175,690	181,297
1962	181,298	187,384
1963	187,385	193,327
1964	193,328	199,626
1965	199,627	207,030
1966	207,031	217,215
1967	217,216	230,095
1968	230,096	241,925
1969	241,926	256,003
1970	256,004	271,633
1971	271,634	294,270
1972	294,271	313,302
1973	313,303	333,873
1974	333,874	353,387
1975	353,388	371,828
1976	371,829	388,800
1977	388,801	399,625
1978	399,626	407,800
1979	407,801	419,900
1980	419,901	430,300
1981	430,301	436,474
1982	436,475	439,627
1983	439,628	446,101
1984	446,102	453,300
1985	453,301	460,575
1986	460,576	468,175
1987	468,176	476,216
1988	476,217	483,952
1989	483,953	493,279
1990	493,280	503,309
1991	503,310	512,487
1992	512,488	522,655
1993	522,656	535,223
1994	535,224	551,696
1995	551,697	570,434
1996	570,435	592,930
1997	592,931	624,799
1998	624,800	668,796
1999	668,797	724,077
2000	724,078	780,500
2001	780,501	845,644
2002	845,645	916,759
2003	916,760	978,706
2004	978,707	1,042,558
2005	1,042,559	1,115,862
2006	1,115,863	1,197,799
2007	1,197,800	1,268,091
2008	1,268,092	1,337,042
2009	1,337,043	1,406,715
2010	1,406,716	1,473,461
2011	1,473,462	1,552,575
2012	1,552,576	1,634,292
2013	1,634,293	1,727,100
2014	1,727,101	1,826,290
2015	1,826,291	1,930,016
2016	1,930,017	2,024,713
2017	2,024,714	2,120,400
2018	2,120,401	2,223,814
2019	2,223,815	2,320,377
2020	2,320,378	2,384,711

Published by C.F. Martin & Co. as year-end totals, so an instrument numbered close to a boundary may belong to either year. The sequence covers guitars; ukuleles and mandolins used separate series.

Common questions about Martin serial numbers

How do I date a Martin guitar from the serial number?: Find which year's block the number falls into. Martin has numbered its guitars in one unbroken sequence since 1898 and publishes the last serial issued each year, so dating is arithmetic rather than interpretation. Nothing is encoded in the number itself.
Where is the serial number on a Martin guitar?: Stamped on the neck block inside the body, visible through the soundhole when you look up towards the neck. The model designation is stamped directly above it, and confusing the two is the most common Martin identification error.
Why does my Martin lookup show two years?: The serial sits close to a year boundary. Martin publishes year-end totals, so an instrument numbered in late December may well have been finished or shipped the following January. Where a number is well inside a year's block there is no such doubt.
Can I date a Martin ukulele or mandolin with the guitar table?: No. Ukuleles, mandolins and other Martin instruments were numbered in entirely separate sequences. Running one against the guitar table produces a confident-looking answer that means nothing.
Does a recent Martin serial mean it was made in Nazareth?: Not necessarily. Since the late 1990s some models, including the X Series, have been built at Martin's Navojoa plant in Mexico while sharing the same serial sequence. The number dates the instrument without establishing where it was made.