How to Date Vintage Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton began branding handbags with serial numbers and date codes in 1980. The code indicates the production date of the bag. When buying a handbag online, ask for photographs of the code and number from the inside of the bag. Determine the date based off that information and make sure the company produced that model bag in the same year. Dating the Louis Vuitton handbag ensures that you buy an authentic purse and not a replica or reproduction. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Open the bag and look inside the purse. Examine the bottom and sides of the bag, checking for a series of numbers or letters, which indicate the code.
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2
Read the area in front of and behind the number on the label. On replica bags or reproduction bags, the label may state “model number” before the actual number. As Louis Vuitton never used the words on any of its bags, the words immediately indicate a fake bag.
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Write down the first two numbers, which indicate the year the company produced the bag. The first two numbers must start at 80 or higher, as the company used 80 for bags created during 1980. If the bag has a 96, then it indicates a production date of 1996.
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Check the last one or two numbers following the first numbers. The two numbers identify the date the company manufactured the bag. The numbers must be less than 31. If the bag contains a number above 31, then it indicates a fake.
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Compare the number against the code used after 1990, which used a six-digit number. The first two numbers refer to the factory that produced the bag. Look to the last four numbers, as the second digit and last number in this set indicate the date. The first number and second to last number in the four digit code indicate the year of production.
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Tips & Warnings
Vintage handbags produced before 1980 do not contain any type of code. Codes listed on supposedly vintage bags are fakes.
Some bags produced in France lack serial numbers. The handbags are authentic Louis Vuitton bags, but they do not have a code.
Even if the handbag contains a code or serial number, the bag may be a fake. Companies making reproduction, replica or fake bags often use a real serial number in the hopes of tricking a buyer.
