How Louis Vuitton date codes work
Louis Vuitton used internal date codes on many products for decades. These codes were not serial numbers and were never intended as standalone proof of authenticity. Their format changed several times over the years, and some genuine vintage items have no readable code at all.
From around the early 1980s through the early 2020s, date codes generally combined letters identifying a workshop or production location with numbers indicating a production period.
Important: date codes are no longer used on many recent Louis Vuitton items
Louis Vuitton moved away from the traditional visible date-code system on many products around 2021, when newer internal identification technology began replacing it. A recent genuine item may therefore have no traditional date code.
General historical formats
| Period | Typical format |
|---|---|
| Early 1980s | Numbers or early combinations varied and were less standardized. |
| Mid-to-late 1980s | Letters and numbers increasingly appeared together to indicate workshop and date. |
| 1990-2006 | Two letters commonly identified the workshop; four digits encoded month and year. |
| 2007-2020 | Two letters generally identified the workshop; four digits encoded week and year. |
| Recent production | Traditional visible date codes may be absent because newer identification systems are used. |
How to read a 1990-2006 code
For many codes from this period, the first and third digits represented the month while the second and fourth represented the year. Example formats should always be checked against the exact production period because exceptions exist.
How to read a 2007-2020 code
For many codes from this period, the first and third digits represented the production week while the second and fourth represented the year.
Workshop letters
The two-letter prefix or suffix found on many Louis Vuitton date codes refers to a workshop or production location. The same country can have multiple codes, and production codes changed over time.
Why a date code does not prove authenticity
Counterfeiters can reproduce date-code formats, and genuine bags can have worn, hidden or missing markings. Authentication should therefore consider the complete product: materials, construction, stitching, hardware, stamps, model details and provenance.
At Secondement, dating is used as one part of a broader authentication process rather than as a single yes-or-no test.
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