Decoder / Brand
Silvertone and Danelectro serial numbers
Silvertone was the Sears house brand, mostly built by Danelectro, Harmony and Kay. Sears catalogue model numbers are the best dating evidence. A serial is evidence, not proof.
Letters, digits and hyphens. Spaces and dots are ignored.
Brand
Your number, read character by character
Each character of your number appears here.
Entries
Ranked by confidence. Select a row for its rule.Type a serial number, or press an example. Nothing leaves your device.
Where to look
- Inside the body (Masonite construction), on a label or stamp
- Neck plate or heel on some models
The formats, in order
Each row is one rule the decoder applies. Where two rows overlap in years, a number can match both, and the decoder shows both.
| Years | Format | How sure | Usually found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silvertone and Danelectro numbers Stamped numbers exist but follow no published date code. | Cannot tell | Inside the body, on the neck block or on a label. |
Traps
- Silvertone and Danelectro numbers. Many Silvertone instruments were built by Danelectro, Harmony or Kay.
Dates that matter
- 1956. Lipstick-tube pickups appear. Danelectro-built instruments adopt the lipstick pickup.
Features that help date it
- Masonite and Lipstick-tube pickups (1956 to 1969). A hollow body of Masonite with pickups that look like lipstick tubes.
Where the rules come from
- Author knowledge of published collector consensus; not independently verified online
Rules are rewritten as logic, not copied tables. See About for known gaps.
Other brands
Martin, Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Rickenbacker, Harmony, Kay, Other makers.