Gibson Factory Order Number Chronology

In 1925, Gibson began using a new set of factory order numbers starting with 8000. This number sequence continued until some time in 1931, and when 9999 was reached, Gibson started over with the number 1. Over the years, Gibson rolled over numbers several more times. Interestingly, despite these rollovers, a number was rarely repeated. However this does make it important to note that just because two identification numbers are numerically in order does not mean that those two banjos were built and/or shipped in the same year.

Using the Factory Order Number List

The factory order numbers are divided into four sections and listed numerically to make them easily navigable.  This is not a complete list of all prewar Gibson banjos, but a list of all known banjos from eyewitness accounts and original shipping ledgers. This list will be updated regularly to include newly discovered banjos. Click the links below to view the number lists. Note:

*Between 1927 and 1928 Gibson briefly used a series of leading zero factory order numbers. For the sake of simplicity, we have listed them separately.