Have you found a used Louis Vuitton bag and want to ensure its authenticity? Or are you hesitant before buying and want to know how experts tell the difference? This guide provides the 8 checkpoints we apply at Le Comptoir Vintage before each item is listed for sale.
By the authentication expert team at Le Comptoir Vintage · Updated July 6, 2026
📋 The 8 checkpoints
1The Monogram canvas: regularity and symmetry
On an authentic Louis Vuitton, the Monogram pattern (LV, four-petal flowers, stars) is always centered and symmetrical. It does not randomly break at the seams. A pattern cut right in the middle of an LV on a side seam is an immediate red flag.
On fakes, the pattern is often off-center, the LVs are too large or too small, and the colors lean towards a brown that is too dark or too orange.
2The stitching: color and regularity
The stitching on a Louis Vuitton is made with mustard yellow thread (not bright yellow or light beige). It is perfectly regular, with the same number of stitches on each side of the bag.
Count the stitches on each side of a handle or a central seam: they should be identical. On counterfeits, the stitching is often uneven or the thread is the wrong color.
3How to recognize Vachetta leather?
The handles, piping, and natural leather (Vachetta) clasps start out light beige when new and develop a golden honey patina with time and exposure to light. This undyed leather is characteristic of Louis Vuitton.
On fakes, this leather is often too orange, too plasticky, or uniform — lacking the natural patina that indicates genuine aging leather.
4Where to find and read the Date Code?
Since 1980, almost all Louis Vuitton bags have a date code stamped inside — on a sewn tag or directly on the lining leather. This code is not a serial number: it indicates the manufacturing factory (the 2 letters) and the production date (the numbers).
📅 Reading changes depending on the era
| Era | Format | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1980 | No code | No date code — dating by model and hardware. |
| 1980–1986 | 3–4 digits | First 2 = year, last = month. Ex: 834 → 1983, month 4 (April). |
| 1987–1989 | 3–4 digits + 2 letters | Digits = date, letters = factory. Ex: 874 TH → 1987, April, France factory. |
| 1990–2006 | 2 letters + 4 digits | 1st & 3rd digits = month · 2nd & 4th = year. Ex: CA1002 → month 10, year 02 = October 2002. |
| 2007–March 2021 | 2 letters + 4 digits | 1st & 3rd digits = week · 2nd & 4th = year. Ex: SD1140 → week 14, year 10 = early April 2010. |
| Since March 2021 | RFID chip | No visible code: an invisible RFID chip replaces the date code. |
🔍 Decoded example: SP0024
SP = factory in France · 0024 (1990–2006 format) → month = 1st & 3rd = 02 (February), year = 2nd & 4th = 04 → February 2004.
🏭 The 2 letters = the factory
Louis Vuitton manufactures in France, but also in Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Here are the most frequent factory codes (some letters have been reused across multiple countries over the years):
| Country | Frequent factory codes |
|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 France | A0, A1, A2, AA, AN, AR, AS, BA, CT, DR, DU, ET, FL, LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RI, SA, SD, SF, SL, SN, SP, SR, TA, TH, TJ, TR, TS, VI, VX |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | BC, CA, GI, LB, LM, LO, LW, UB |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | BC, CE, FH, FN, FO, MA, OB, PL, RC, RE, SA, TB, TD |
| 🇺🇸 United States | FC, FH, FL, LA, OS, SD, TX |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | LP, OL |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | DI, FA |
5How to recognize genuine hardware?
Louis Vuitton clasps, rings, and padlocks are made of gold-plated brass, which is heavy and solid. The LV logo is precisely engraved, without burrs.
Fakes often use lightweight gold-plated metal that tarnishes quickly. The engraving is blurry, superficial, or the logo is disproportionate.
On bags with padlocks, check that the number engraved on the padlock matches the one engraved on the key.
6The lining and interior finishes
Louis Vuitton bags are lined with beige cotton canvas (for classic Monogram models) or leather, depending on the line. The lining is sewn with the same care as the exterior — no visible glue, no strained seams.
Interior pockets have YKK or Lampo zippers with the LV logo. The sewn tags are neat, with no stray threads.
7The Entrupy certificate: irrefutable proof
For items over €500, we use Entrupy, the AI-powered authentication technology used by major second-hand luxury players. The system analyzes the bag's fibers and materials at a microscopic level and issues a digital certificate of authenticity.
This is the most reliable method to date — and we offer it upon request to guarantee you a worry-free purchase.
8Historical consistency: everything must match
This is the expert's reflex that unmasks even the best counterfeits. Every detail of a bag must be consistent with the era indicated by the date code. A counterfeiter reproduces the canvas but often forgets that a model, material, or clasp did not yet exist — or no longer existed — on the displayed date.
Always ask yourself these three questions:
① Did the model exist at that date?
Each line has a launch year. A date code of 2002 on a model released in 2010 is impossible. Some benchmarks: Monogram Vernis (1998), Multicolore by Murakami (2003), Damier Azur (2006), Empreinte (2010). A bag "dated" before its line's launch is definitely a fake.
② Do the materials match the era?
The canvas, coating, lining, and leather have evolved. An Alcantara microfiber lining (which appeared in the 2000s) on a bag "dated" to the 1980s, or an overly shiny coated canvas on a piece supposed to be vintage, indicate an inconsistency.
③ Are the hardware and zippers of the correct generation?
Zippers tell the story of the bag. LV used Éclair and Talon zippers on older pieces, then YKK and Lampo, and finally LV-branded pulls on recent models. An Éclair zipper on a bag "dated" to 2015, or conversely, an LV-branded pull on a piece supposedly from the 1990s, is a red flag.
The wear itself must be credible: a 25-year-old bag with a perfectly new patina, or a recent model with artificially aged leather, deserve closer examination. When a single detail doesn't match the era, the whole item is suspect.
Frequently asked questions
How to read a Louis Vuitton date code?
The date code is read in two parts: the 2 letters indicate the factory and the numbers the production date. The format has changed over time—for example, from 1990 to 2006, the 1st and 3rd digits give the month and the 2nd and 4th the year. Since March 2021, an invisible RFID chip replaces the visible code.
Does a real Louis Vuitton always have a date code?
Not always. Bags made before 1980 do not have one and are dated by the model and hardware. Since 1980, almost all have one, but since March 2021 it has been replaced by an invisible RFID chip. The absence of a visible code is therefore not, in itself, a sign of counterfeiting.
Where are authentic Louis Vuitton bags made?
Louis Vuitton manufactures in France, but also in Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. The 2 letters of the date code identify the country and the production factory—some letters having been reused between several countries over the years.
What color are the stitches on a real Louis Vuitton?
The stitching on an authentic Louis Vuitton is done with mustard yellow thread, not bright yellow or light beige. They are perfectly regular, with the same number of stitches on each side of the bag. Uneven stitching or incorrect thread color often indicate a counterfeit.
What is the Entrupy certificate?
Entrupy is an AI-powered authentication technology that analyzes the fibers and materials of the bag at a microscopic level, then issues a digital certificate of authenticity. At Le Comptoir Vintage, we use it for items over €500: it is the most reliable method to date.
