Reference Resource

Brand Date Code Guide

Designer brands stamp their bags to trace the year and location of manufacture. Understanding these systems is an essential verification checkpoint.

1. Louis Vuitton Date Codes

Prior to March 2021, Louis Vuitton bags featured a 6-character date code (e.g., FL3186). The first two letters represent the factory location, while the four digits indicate the week and year of manufacture. Bags produced after March 2021 feature embedded microchips instead of physical stamps.

2. Hermès Blind Stamps

Hermès stamps are single letters inside a geometric shape or pressed directly into the leather (blind stamps) representing the production year. For example, a stamp containing a letter 'Y' without a shape indicates 2020.

3. Chanel Serial Stickers

Until 2021, Chanel used hologram stickers with a 7 or 8-digit serial number inside the bag. The starting digit corresponds to the production window (e.g., serials starting with 31XXXXXX indicate 2021). From mid-2021 onwards, Chanel transitioned to interior metal plates with random alphanumeric codes.