The date code is the first thing most people look for when buying a second-hand Louis Vuitton. It is a good instinct — provided you know what it says, and more importantly what it does not.
What a date code is, and is not
Contrary to a widespread belief, it is not a serial number. Two identical bags made in the same workshop in the same week carry the same code. It does not identify an individual bag: it tells you where and when the piece was made. It therefore never proves authenticity on its own — a well-made counterfeit carries one, and a plausible one at that.
Where to look
It is deliberately discreet, never displayed. Depending on the model, you will find it:
- on a small leather tab stitched inside, often at the bottom of a flat pocket;
- heat-stamped directly into the alcantara or canvas lining;
- under a reinforcement tab, which has to be lifted gently;
- on structured models, inside a flap or near a hinge.
On some older pieces, particularly those made before the 1980s, there is simply no code at all. Its absence on a vintage piece is not in itself a warning sign.
Formats through the decades
The house has changed its codification several times.
Early 1980s. Three or four digits only, no letters. The first two give the year, the following ones the month.
Late 1980s. Workshop letters appear after the digits.
1990s. The format settles: two letters followed by four digits. The letters identify the workshop; among the digits, the first and third give the month, the second and fourth the year. A code ending in a combination reading "0 9" and "9 4" therefore means month 09, year 1994.
From 2007. Same principle, but the digits indicate the week of production rather than the month — one of 53.
From 2021. Louis Vuitton has progressively dropped the stamped date code in favour of an embedded NFC chip. A recent piece without a date code is not suspicious: it simply belongs to a new generation.
The workshop letters
The two letters refer to the place of manufacture: France, Spain, Italy, the United States, Germany, Switzerland. A bag made outside France is entirely normal — the house has legitimately produced in several countries for decades. This is a common misunderstanding, and it makes people walk away from beautiful pieces.
What is a real signal is an inconsistency: a workshop that never produced that model, or a manufacturing date earlier than the collection itself.
Why the date code is not enough
Quality counterfeits have been reproducing plausible codes for a long time. The code is one clue among a dozen we check systematically:
- monogram alignment across seams, and the symmetry of the motifs on either side;
- the stitching: stitches per centimetre, regularity, angle, thread colour;
- the vachetta: this untreated leather darkens with time and handling. A perfectly even patina on an old piece is more suspicious than an uneven one;
- the hardware: weight, plating finish, engraving;
- the heat stamp: letter spacing, the shape of the R and the O, the depth of the impression.
Where we stand
At Comptoir Vintage, no piece is ever listed on the strength of a single clue. Every Louis Vuitton passes through the hands of our experts, in Paris, and all of these points are checked. For exceptional pieces, we call on an independent specialist.
If you have a doubt about a piece — yours or anyone else's — write to us. We answer quickly, and at no charge.