If you're passionate about Louis Vuitton vintage handbags, checking the date codes is essential whenever you add a new luxury bag to your collection. If you're not yet familiar with Louis Vuitton date codes, you've come to the right place for all the information you need.
Here's a thorough date code guide with over 500 examples of what real Louis Vuitton date codes look like compiled by brand collectors and authenticators with over 10 years of experience each - and a date code list. Enjoy!
Louis Vuitton date code is a combination of numbers and characters that allows you to identify where and when the item was made. Unlike Chanel bag serial number, for instance, LV date code is not unique and cannot be considered a serial number. Many handbag enthusiasts call date codes Louis Vuitton serial numbers nonetheless.
Date codes are a combination of letters and numbers. The letters indicated the country in which the item was made while the numbers indicate the month/year of production. According to the format of the date code, you can find out how old is your item.
Looking to learn how to decipher Louis Vuitton date codes? Get up close and personal with your Louis Vuitton pieces! Find out all you need to know right here. Knowing how to read the Louis Vuitton date codes can give you more insight into the pieces in your wardrobe.
Want to learn more about vintage Louis Vuitton bags? Check out our articles on vintage Louis Vuitton (French company) heat stamps and vintage Louis Vuitton zippers.
818
8511VX
VI1025
FO3057
No date code
Please note that even thought this date code list has the absolute majority of manufacturing country date codes, this is not a complete list. It was collected from open sources by Louis Vuitton collectors and enthusiasts from our team.
| France | A0, A1, A2, AA, AAS (Special Order), AH, AN, AR, AS, BA, BC (charms), BE, BJ, BU, DK (replaced, relined items), DR, DU, DT, CO, CT, CX, ET, FL, LA, LM, LU, LW, LY, MB, MI, ML, MM, MS, NO, RA, RI, SA, SD, SF, SK, SL, SN, SP, SR, TA, TJ, TH, TN, TR, TS, TY, VI, VM, VX |
| Spain | BC, BP, CA, JJ (straps, belts), LO, LB, LM, LW, GI, UB |
| USA | FC, FH, LA, OS, SD, FL, TX |
| Italy | BC, BO, CE, FH, FK, FN, FO, FP, FY, FZ, GO, MA, NZ, OB, PL, RC, RE, SA, TB, TD |
| Germany | LP, OL |
| Switzerland | DI, FA |
Generally, a date code in a Louis Vuitton purse is located inside the bag's pocket near the sews.
To find your item's date code, first examine the inside pockets. In 80% of the bags, you'll find your date code either printed on a small leather tag inside the pocket or just stamped onto the lining. Look carefully, especially if your item has alcantra lining as the date code may be faded and, thus, almost invisible.
Here's where the most popular bag's date codes are located.
To find a date code/serial number on a Speedy regardless of its size, look under the internal pocket. The date code will be displayed on one of the two of the leather tabs.
The date code in this popular bag is under a big fabric pocket on the right (if you're facing the pocket).
Note that a Neverfull in Epi leather would have its date code in another area. It's located on one of the handles (the inside part, specifically the place where it meets the top leather trim).
Close the purse's flap and turn over to the zipped pocket on the back. Open it and you'll find the date code if the item was produced between 2014 and 2021.
No. Louis Vuitton date codes are basically general item's production dates. Several items can be produced on the same factory and on the same week. It's quite normal to see several items with the same date code though it doesn't happen frequently.
Not every Louis Vuitton bag has a date code. There might be several reasons for the absence of the date code.
For instance, vintage bags manufactured before 1981 don't have any date codes inside. In addition, the purses that are released after 2021 only have microchips inside.
There are also more complex cases. For instance, some ultra-rare items from catwalks might be missing date codes, as reported by several collectors. Note that an item from a fashion show doesn't necessarily lack this serial number inside.
Other bags that don't have date codes are rarely seen and are considered manufacturing defects.
Lastly, a date code might just fade. Some vintage Louis Vuitton bags have alcantra lining. Any symbols stamped onto this type of lining might get barely visible over time.
The earliest reference we know dates back to early 1980s, namely, 1981. Date codes emerged as a response to growing counterfeiting attempts and were designed to help Louis Vuitton employees to check the purses brought for repair. Over time, date codes became known to the general public and were copied by counterfeiters, which has become the reason Louis Vuitton discontinued date codes in 2021, replacing them with RFID chips.
Louis Vuitton replaced the date codes with RFID chips in March of 2021. You can read more in our articles regarding Louis Vuitton microchips. Therefore, the popular French handbags have date codes from early 1980s to 2021.
However, you need to know that even after 2021 Louis Vuitton continued using date codes on some items, such as accessories and shoes. Even some smaller bags still might have date codes.
Yes, if you have an item comprised of several smaller items (like a Neverfull with a pouch or a Multi Pochette bag) it's normal. The reason for that is still unknown, probably the separate items are produced and brought together in different times.
No. The receipt has the item number that looks like a letter followed by 5 digits (e.g. 'M12345'.) The date code is not printed on the receipt.
It's important to note though that by reading the date code you can do a legit check of the receipt. To be precise, you can compare the date when the item was manufactured against the date the item was purchased. For instance, if a bag was made on the 38th week of 2019 and the receipt says it was purchased in 2018, that would at least confirm that the receipt is not from this handbag. We've discussed this in detail in the article How can a Louis Vuitton bag with receipt be a replica.
A lot of people believe that if a date code is legit, it means that the item is authentic. Unfortunately, it's not true. Counterfeiters learned to copy the date code logic so a date code on a fake can be fully legit.
How can you check authenticity? You need to take into account multiple factors and you can learn how to authenticate in our Louis Vuitton authentication course. You can read more about the authentication process and factors that need to be checked in our separate article. When it comes to date codes, you need to take into account not only the fact that the date code is legit but also the date code font, font color, its location and other details.
Here are some popular fonts for each of the date codes. Please be aware that the list is not full and is updated regularly even though the date codes are not used by Louis Vuitton anymore.
Contrary to popular misconceptions regarding Louis Vuitton bags being manufactured in France only, Louis Vuitton handbags are actually being manufactured in Spain. The French brand has had a factory there for many years. Check out the Louis Vuitton date codes from handbags made in Spain.
Bags made in Germany are very rare. If you see a Louis Vuitton handbag with a German code, it's either vintage or a rare limited edition. According to the recent items we've seen, it's very likely that Louis Vuitton has discontinued the German manufacturing facility.
| LP |  | ||
| OL |  | Circa 2010-2011 | This Germany factory code is quite rare and it's been mostly seen on limited edition items. |
The French handbag manufacturer currently has several factories in USA. It's only logical since US is a big market for Louis Vuitton and it makes much sense to manage a manufacturing facility instead of importing.
Until 1995 France)
Naturally, French date codes are the most widespread and popular. Some Louis Vuitton collectors prefer to purchase items made in France as they're considered to deliver higher quality.
| Factory code | Photo examples | Years active | Comment |
| A0 | |||
| A1 |  | ||
| A2 |  | Circa 1988-1994 | Vintage factory code, discontinued |
| AA |  | Circa 2000-now | French factory, ongoing date code |
| AAS |  | ||
| AH |  | ||
| AN |  | ||
| AR |  | ||
| AS |  | Circa 1997-2013 | This code can still be found on the newer bags. |
| BA |  | Circa 1995-2007 | Vintage factory code, discontinued now |
| BC |  | 2019-present | This code is found on charms. |
| BE | 2019-present | ||
| BJ |  | Circa 2000 | Vintage factory code, discontinued now |
| BU | |||
| DR |  | CIrca 2011-now | Newer factory code, can be found on Pochette Metis and other popular bags |
| DU |  | Circa 2007-now | A long-time French factory code |
| DT | |||
| CO |  | Rare vintage date code | |
| CT |  | Circa 2004-now | Ongoing factory code, seen on Speedy, accessories. |
| CX |  | Circa 2011-now | Modern factory code seen mostly on accessories (bag charms) |
| ET |  | Vintage factory code used in the 1980s | |
| FL | |||
| LA | 2019-present | ||
| LM | |||
| LU | 2020-present | ||
| LW | |||
| LY | 2020-present | ||
| MB |  | Circa 1999-now | Long-time French factory, ongoing code |
| MI |  | Circa 1991-now | Long-time French factory, ongoing code |
| ML | 2020-present | ||
| MM | 2020-present | ||
| MS |  | Circa 2010-now | Ongoing factory code |
| NO | |||
| RA |  | Circa 1997-now | Mostly seen on accessories |
| RI |  | Circa 2005-now | Rare factory code, not seen too much |
| SA |  | ||
| SD | |||
| SF |  | Circa 2016-now | Newer date code, often used for pochettes |
| SK | |||
| SL |  | Circa 1991-2004 | Vintage factory code, discontinued now |
| SN |  | CIrca 2004-now | Long-time French factory. Can often be een on high-quality fakes. |
| SP |  | 1984-now | The most popular factory code for France, old factory |
| SR |  | Circa 2000-2013 | Used for monogram and limited edition items. May also be valid currently. |
| TA |  | ||
| TJ |  | Circa 2010-now | This factory code is still ongoing |
| TH |  | Circa 2001-2009 | Vintage factory code used in the 2000s |
| TR |  | Circa 2010-2017 | The factory code can still be valid now |
| TS |  | Circa 2015-now | Factory code used on newer items |
| TY |  | 2020-present | |
| VI |  | 1984-2011 | This factory closed down in 2011. Fakes often use this factory code with newer items. |
| VM | |||
| VX |  louis vuitton vx date code" /> | Circa 1984-1999 | Vintage French factory code |
Italian date codes are the most sophisticated ones. They're either used on a few popular items, such as Pochette Metis, or they're used on ultra rare limited editions.
We have reviewed all the known Louis Vuitton date codes and have answered the most burning questions regarding this topic. By now, hoepfully you know everything about date codes. However, if you still have a question, we're excited to help! Message us below.
If you need to authenticate Louis Vuitton, order professional authentication services from $10 only.
