How to Read a Louis Vuitton Date Code
Most Louis Vuitton pieces made between the early 1980s and early 2021 carry a small stamped date code, usually on a leather tab or along an interior seam. It records where and when the piece was made. Reading it is one of the first checks we make on every Louis Vuitton piece that comes into the vault.
The format
From the 1990s onwards, a date code is usually two letters followed by four numbers — for example, SP1019.
- The letters identify the country or workshop where the piece was made. SP and VI, for example, are French workshops; CA is a Spanish one.
- The numbers are read in pairs, alternating: the first and third digits form one number, the second and fourth form the other.
Before and after 2007
1990 to 2006: the first and third digits give the month, and the second and fourth give the year. A code ending 0916 would mean January 1996.
2007 to early 2021: the first and third digits give the week of the year, and the second and fourth give the year. SP1019 reads as week 11 of 2009.
After 2021
From around March 2021, Louis Vuitton began replacing date codes with embedded microchips. A recent piece without a date code is therefore not unusual.
What a date code does not tell you
A date code is a useful starting point, not proof of authenticity. Codes are widely published and easily copied. That is why every Louis Vuitton piece in the vault is also checked for materials, construction, stitching, hardware and heat stamps, and why independent Entrupy or Real Authentication certification is available with any purchase.
