Louis Vuitton date codes

How to read a Louis Vuitton date code from the 1980s to 2021, what the factory letters mean, and why bags made since March 2021 have no code at all.

These guides describe what reputable authenticators and the houses themselves have published. They are a starting point for reading a piece, not a verdict. Counterfeits change quickly, and no single feature proves a piece genuine. For any significant purchase or sale, use a professional authenticator.

Decode a Louis Vuitton date code

Code as stamped

A code that decodes cleanly is consistent, not proof. Counterfeits often copy valid codes.

A Louis Vuitton date code is a short stamp of letters and numbers that records where and when a piece was made. It is not a serial number: Fashionphile notes that many pieces share the same code. Use the decoder above, then read the era notes below.

Before 1982

Leluxe Vintage notes that Louis Vuitton did not use date codes before 1982, so an older piece with no code is normal.

1982 to the mid 1980s: three or four digits

The first two digits are the year and the last one or two are the month. Fashionphile gives 844 as April 1984.

Mid to late 1980s: digits and factory letters

Two factory letters appear for the first time, after the digits at first and then, late in the decade, before them. The digits still read year then month. Fashionphile decodes 882 VI as February 1988 in France; Love That Bag decodes FC884 as April 1988 in the United States.

1990 to 2006: letters, then month and year interleaved

Two factory letters, then four digits. The first and third digits are the month; the second and fourth are the year. SP0065 is June 2005 in France (Fashionphile); VI1025 is December 2005 (LV Bagaholic).

2007 to early 2021: week instead of month

The layout is the same, but the first and third digits now give the week of the year. FO3057 is week 35 of 2007 in Italy (LV Bagaholic); SD1132 is week 13 of 2012, and SD is listed for both France and the United States (Love That Bag, Fashionphile).

From March 2021: microchips

LV Bagaholic, Leluxe Vintage and Love That Bag all report that from March 2021 Louis Vuitton stopped stamping date codes and embedded a chip in the piece instead. The chip is read by the house, not by buyers. A bag made since then with no visible code is correct.

Factory letters

Fashionphile lists the factory letters by country: France (for example AR, AS, CT, DU, FL, MB, MI, SD, SP, SR, TH, VI), Italy (BC, BO, CE, FO, MA, RC, RE, SA, TD), Spain (CA, GI, LO, LB, LM, LW), the United States (FC, FH, FL, LA, OS, SD), Switzerland (DI, FA) and Germany (LP, OL). The letters should agree with the "Made in" heat stamp on the same piece.

Where to find it

Fashionphile says codes are usually stamped on an interior leather tab, on the leather by a D-ring, or directly on the lining.

What a code can't tell you

Every source we cite makes the same point: counterfeiters copy valid codes, so a code that decodes cleanly is only one check. It must also agree with the materials, heat stamp, construction and model history. See the Louis Vuitton Monogram guide for the canvas and stitching.