I have also discovered that a bicycle with a serial number for a particular year could have been offered for sale as early as September of the previous year. For the years from 1953 to 1960, I have confidence in the earlier years but am not so sure towards the end of the fifties.

I am confident that the years given for serial numbers up to about 1952 are accurate. The issue of VIM that the serial number information came from was from the early 1950’s. I made the list about 10 years ago and gave copies to a couple of people in Ontario who appear to be responsible for spreading the information to the web. year of manufacture list that is now all over the web based on information obtained in an issue of VIM (the CCM trade magazine). I initially came up with the CCM serial number vs. All of the frames that I have found of this type are fitted with a cottered English-type crank. Hello, the CCM-made frames with the X serial numbers seem to have appeared about a year after the start of WWII. I am unable to give credit for it where credit is due. I located the serial number chart awhile back on the internet. I am assuming because the bike was under the 10000 produced amount I only have 4 numbers. According to the chart there are up to 5 numbers that follow the initial letters between the years 1921 to 1936. I am unsure if all frames are stamped this well. My number was fairly well stamped and with a little bit of sanding it was readable. I finally recovered the numbers on the left side of the seat tube at the very top of the tube were the seat post slides in. It took a little bit of sanding on the frame of my 1935 model to actually find where the numbers are stamped. For those of you who are interested in my connection to CCM built Zenith bicycles check out my post on my 1935 model. I posted a chart that outlines the letters assigned to CCM bicycles between the years 1921 to 1960.

There have been some questions lately concerning how to determine the year of certain Zenith bicycles that were built by CCM for the Marshall Wells department store chain.

Humber bicycle serial numbers