Hamer Californian

[Michaelwood]

I am wondering what year this guitar is serial number 821249 its red snake skin and signed by JD Connor 1988 and what is the value I bought this brand new in 1992 in California 

[topekatj]

Hello:

The first digit of the serial number of a US built Hamer indicates the last digit of the year the guitar was built, and the other digits indicate the sequential number of the total number of guitars built. In your case it’s an ‘88 Californian. The dated O’Connor signature is a clear clue also. A ‘98 guitar S/N would have a much higher 5 digit number after the ‘8’.

Let’s see some photos!

[cmatthes]

5 hours ago, topekatj said:

Hello:

The first digit of the serial number of a US built Hamer indicates the last digit of the year the guitar was built, and the other digits indicate the sequential number of the total number of guitars built. In your case it’s an ‘88 Californian. The dated O’Connor signature is a clear clue also. A ‘98 guitar S/N would have a much higher 5 digit number after the ‘8’.

Let’s see some photos!

A '98 guitar also wouldn't be a Californian nor have an O'Connor graphic.

[topekatj]

7 hours ago, cmatthes said:

A '98 guitar also wouldn't be a Californian nor have an O'Connor graphic.

It’s true, also knowing when a particular model was in production can help narrow down the year the guitar was built.

[BadgerDave]

The value is highly dependent on originality, condition and features.  Californians are very desirable. The range is roughly $1,500 - $3,500. Possibly more if you have several potential buyers engaged in competitive bidding.