Louis Vuitton fake products have grown more and more difficult to spot. To guarantee the authenticity of the products, Louis Vuitton introduced 30 years ago date codes and serial numbers for its handbags. Although it might prove quite difficult to understand and verify the authenticity of these codes and numbers, you can follow these few tips to crack the codes. You need only a little patience and practice to understand the mechanism.
- The codes and serial numbers should appear on the inside of the products. You can find these embossed codes and numbers carved in relief.
- All authentic Louis Vuitton purses that date later than 1980 have codes or serial numbers. If the product you examine doesn’t, then you hold a fake in your hand. Take care in noting variations in name. A model number does not equate with a date and production code. Louis Vuitton doesn’t use model numbers and never has.
- Louis Vuitton handbags produced before 1980 will not have date codes and serial numbers. If someone tries to sell you a vintage Louis Vuitton purse more than 30 years old but you spot a serial number on it, it’s not authentic. Also keep in mind that the format of the numbers has changed over the years. In the 1980s the codes consisted of three or four digits standing for manufacturing year and day, plus two letters representing the factory from where it came. In 1990 the letters came in front of the four-digit code.
- Understand the code on the product. For some bags, the first two digits of the date code represents the year in which company manufactured the bag. They should be higher than 80, because in that year the company first introduced them. Louis Vuitton has made handbags for over 150 years, but the date code only dates 30 years back. The next one or two digits on the date code represent the manufacturing day and should range between one and 31.
- For bags manufactures between 1990 and 2007, the four digits remain the manufacturing date but with a twist. The first and third digits represent the year and the second and forth represent the day. Rearrange the numbers so you get a viable date. As of the beginning of 2007, the date codes still comprise four digits but represent the week and year. In front of the digits appear two letters standing for the factory that produced the purse. Remember that getting a viable date and cracking the code doesn’t necessarily mean the bag is not a fake. You also have to look for other details such as the color of the leather, the way in which the LV monogram appears on the bag, if the purse has sewed=on parts and so on. Sellers have grown better and better at producing fake Louis Vuitton bags, so practice extra care when spending you money on one.
