Selmer Mark VI Serial Numbers

By SaxTeacher UK 20 Aug 2026 7 min read

The Selmer Mark VI is the most sought-after saxophone ever made, and with a horn this collectable the serial number is the first thing anyone asks for. It tells you the year the instrument was built, which era of Mark VI you are looking at, and — because desirability varies sharply across the run — a good deal about what it is worth. This page gives the full year-by-year Mark VI serial number chart from 1954 to 1974, where to find the number, and what the range means in practice.

Not a Mark VI? The full Selmer Paris serial number chart covers every model from 1922 to 1992, with an interactive lookup tool.

One Sequence, Every Size

Selmer Paris used a single serial run across its whole range. A Mark VI alto and tenor from the same year share the same number range — the serial gives you the year, not the size.

Five-Digit Horns

Serial numbers stayed five digits until 100,000 was reached in 1962. "Five-digit Mark VI" is shorthand for an early instrument, and it carries a premium.

Selmer Mark VI alto saxophone, serial number 83248, made in 1960 — from the SaxTeacher UK collection — A Selmer Mark VI alto, serial 83248 — placing it in 1960, squarely in the most sought-after period of the run.

Mark VI Serial Numbers by Year

Every Selmer Mark VI from 1954 to 1974

Find your serial number in the ranges below to get the year the instrument left the Selmer factory in Paris. The Mark VI run begins at 55201 in 1954 and continues to around 231,000 in 1974, when alto and tenor production gave way to the Mark VII.

Selmer Mark VI Serial Numbers 1954 – 1974

Year	Model	Serial Range
1954	Mark VI	55,201 – 59,000
1955	Mark VI	59,001 – 63,400
1956	Mark VI	63,401 – 68,900
1957	Mark VI	68,901 – 74,500
1958	Mark VI	74,501 – 80,400
1959	Mark VI	80,401 – 85,200
1960	Mark VI	85,201 – 91,300
1961	Mark VI	91,301 – 97,300
1962	Mark VI	97,301 – 104,500
1963	Mark VI	104,501 – 112,500
1964	Mark VI	112,501 – 121,600
1965	Mark VI	121,601 – 131,800
1966	Mark VI	131,801 – 141,500
1967	Mark VI	141,501 – 152,400
1968	Mark VI	152,401 – 162,500
1969	Mark VI	162,501 – 173,800
1970	Mark VI	173,801 – 184,900
1971	Mark VI	184,901 – 196,000
1972	Mark VI	196,001 – 208,700
1973	Mark VI	208,701 – 220,800
1974	Mark VI	220,801 – 231,000

Serial ranges are approximate at the year boundaries. A horn within a few hundred of a cut-off could belong to either year.

Where to Find the Serial Number on a Mark VI

On the back of the body tube, below the thumb rest

Turn the saxophone so you are looking at the back of the body tube. The serial number is stamped into the brass just below the thumb rest and above the curve of the bow, usually preceded by the letter M. On a horn with worn lacquer the stamp can be difficult to read — tilt the instrument so light rakes across it at a low angle rather than hitting it straight on.

The neck carries its own stamping, and on many Mark VIs the bell does too. These should be consistent with the body. A neck whose number sits far from the body number is a sign the horn has been paired with a replacement, which matters a great deal for value.

The body number

Stamped below the thumb rest, prefixed with M. This is the number that dates the instrument, and the one to enter in any lookup chart.

DATES THE HORN

The neck stamp

Mark VI necks are model-specific and frequently swapped. A neck number far from the body number signals a replacement, and a real deduction in value.

CHECK IT MATCHES

Patent markings

Selmer stamped patent numbers directly above the serial. The longer seven-digit numbers are patents, and the BREV-SGDG line is a French patent mark.

NOT THE SERIAL

Made in France

Present on genuine Selmer Paris instruments, stamped at the head of the block. Worth confirming before you go any further.

CONFIRMS PARIS

Mark VI Alto, Tenor, Soprano and Baritone

Why the serial number will not tell you the size

This is the most common misunderstanding about Selmer serial numbers, and it catches out plenty of buyers. Selmer Paris ran one continuous serial sequence across its entire output. A Mark VI alto and a Mark VI tenor built in the same week carry numbers a few dozen apart. There is no separate alto sequence and no separate tenor sequence.

So if you are searching for a Mark VI tenor serial number chart or a Mark VI alto serial number chart, the table above is the chart for both. What the number gives you is the year. To identify the size you need the instrument itself — the bell size, the key layout and the overall length.

One consequence worth knowing: soprano and baritone Mark VIs continued in production after the Mark VII replaced the alto and tenor in 1974. A baritone with a serial number well beyond the range in the table above may still be a genuine Mark VI.

What the Serial Number Means for Value

Where the price steps fall across the run

With most vintage saxophones the year is a detail. With the Mark VI it is a significant part of the price, because demand is concentrated in a particular stretch of the run. Broadly, instruments from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s — roughly serial numbers 55,000 to 170,000 — command the strongest prices among collectors and professional players.

Five-digit era

1954–1962

The earliest and scarcest Mark VIs. Strong collector demand, and the horns most often described by serial number alone in listings.

55,201 – 99,999

Peak period

1962–1969

The stretch most professional players seek out. Widely regarded as the heart of the Mark VI run for both alto and tenor.

100,000 – 173,800

Later production

1970–1974

Still genuine Mark VIs and still excellent instruments, but generally more affordable than the earlier horns.

173,801 – 231,000

What Moves the Price More Than the Year

Serial range sets the bracket; condition decides where in it a particular horn sits. An early five-digit Mark VI that has been relacquered, had its neck replaced or been through heavy repair can be worth less than a well-kept horn from ten years later.

Original lacquer — even heavily worn, generally worth more than a relacquer, because relacquering buffs the engraving.
The original neck — a matching neck is a substantial part of the value, and a replacement is a substantial deduction.
Body condition — creases around the bow and bell brace are difficult to remove without leaving evidence.
Playing condition — a horn needing a full overhaul carries that cost against it, though on a Mark VI the work is usually recovered.

For an honest assessment before buying or selling, a specialist inspection is almost always worth the cost on an instrument in this bracket — our guide to saxophone repairers in London lists workshops worth approaching.

Desirability bands are a guide to how the market treats the run, not a valuation. Check recent completed sales for your exact model and condition.

Super Action, Mark VI and Mark VII

Reading the boundaries at either end of the run

The Mark VI did not begin or end cleanly, and the serial numbers at both boundaries are worth understanding. Before it came the Super Action, which ran to serial 55,200 at the end of 1953 — so a horn just below 55,201 is a Super Action, not an early Mark VI, however similar it may look.

At the other end, the changeover to the Mark VII in 1974 was gradual. Instruments in the 220,801 to 233,900 band can be either model, which is why that year appears as "Mark VI / Mark VII" on the full Selmer serial number chart. If your horn falls in that band, the engraving and keywork will settle it rather than the number.

Frequently Asked Questions

What years was the Selmer Mark VI made? +

The Selmer Mark VI was produced from 1954, beginning at serial number 55201, through to 1974. Production of alto and tenor Mark VIs wound down as the Mark VII was introduced after serial number 231,000 in 1974, while sopranos and baritones continued for some years beyond that.

Do Mark VI altos and tenors have different serial numbers? +

No. All Selmer Paris saxophones share a single sequential serial number run, so a Mark VI alto and a Mark VI tenor made in the same year fall in the same range. The serial number tells you the year, not the size of the instrument, so you cannot identify an alto from a tenor by the number alone.

Which Mark VI serial numbers are the most sought-after? +

Mark VIs from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, roughly serial numbers 55,000 to 170,000, command the highest prices among collectors and professional players. Within that span the five-digit horns are particularly prized. Condition, originality of lacquer and the neck matter enormously, so a late Mark VI in excellent original condition can be worth more than an early one that has been relacquered or repaired.

Where is the serial number on a Selmer Mark VI? +

On the back of the body tube, below the thumb rest and above the bow, usually preceded by the letter M. The neck and, on many horns, the bell also carry stampings. Check that the number on the body falls in the Mark VI range rather than reading a patent or model marking by mistake.

Is a five-digit Mark VI better than a six-digit one? +

Not automatically, though five-digit horns are earlier and scarcer, which supports their value. A five-digit serial simply means the instrument was made before serial number 100,000 was reached in 1962. Plenty of highly regarded Mark VIs carry six-digit numbers, and condition will make more difference to how an individual horn plays and what it is worth.

Can I get help learning to play my Selmer with saxophone lessons? +

Absolutely. Whether you have just acquired a vintage Mark VI or you are returning to one after years away, working with a teacher will help you get the most out of it. SaxTeacher UK offers saxophone lessons in person in South East London and online, from first notes to advanced jazz improvisation.

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SaxTeacher UK is a woodwind and piano teacher based in South East London. With 17 years of individual and group tuition experience. Get in touch for in-person or online lessons.

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