Serial Numbers
The Official Selmer Serial Number List
Reliable serial number registration is an indispensable element in brand value!
Every SELMER Saxophone is identified with a consecutive number. This number is unique – no two Saxophones have the same number. The numbers are definitively allocated to the relevant year of manufacture.
According to the official Henri SELMER Paris Serial Numbers List, the approximate production year is ascertainable. It is an approximation because the production process for a SELMER Saxophone takes months to complete and the precise point in time when the body is stamped is not defined.
This is why the list can only serve as a reference point for the production year. Data that is more precise is accessible through the serial number in the SELMER Archives (only on request!).
Demarcation of each individual series is likewise not clear! For instance, even after the official introduction of the Mark 7 (Alto and Tenor), some Mark VI models were still being manufactured. Our suspicion is that the material still on hand was used productively, possibly also in order to complete already-placed orders, or to gather preliminary information and assess market acceptance of the new model.
Still found alongside earlier changes of model are the so-called “transitional models” on offer now and then in our Legendary Saxophones Collection. These are SELMER Saxophones that were made partly with elements from precursor or successor models, e.g., the SBA/Mark VI Transitional. A wide variety of variations can be discerned, like SBA body with Mark VI bell and neck, SBA body with Mark VI octave mechanics and neck, etc.
This is why the serial number list can only serve to approximate the production year. Determination of the exact model, however, can be done based on equipment features, markings or structural details. In order to correctly read the SELMER Serial Number List, it is necessary to know that the serial number standing next to a corresponding year is the last serial number assigned to that year.
