Beginning in 1986, Chanel bags were produced with a sticker tucked away on a corner, pocket, or tab in the interior called a
hologram sticker. This sticker had a unique serial number that can be used to identify the year the bag was made, and also aid in
authenticating the item. From 1986- early 2005 the serial number consisted of seven digits, and from late 2005-present the serial number is changed to be an 8 digit sequence. Below is a chart of the serial numbers with the corresponding years.

All Chanel bags also come with an authenticity card which has the hologram number in gold letters stamped on one side.  Although these cards are sold with all authentic Chanel bags from the store, it is important to note that they are not always included with all pre-loved Chanel bags depending on the previous owners’ inclusion of it when passed along to one of our stores.

About the Chanel Classic:

The first classic was produced in February 1955, thus names the“2.55”.  The original double flap bag had a rectangular “mademoiselle” lock and a chain link strap.  This style was re-issued in 2005 to celebrate Chanel’s 50th anniversary. 

In 1983 Karl Lagerfeld joined as the Chief Designer for the house of Chanel and started incorporating more of the CC logo. Karl
introduced the CC twist lock on the classic flap bags, making the updated classic the new timeless most coveted item from Chanel.  

Chanel uses the finest materials and pays attention to every detail when making one of their items.  The authenticators at TVLR make sure to inspect the materials used, stitching, special markings on the hardware and stampings to each individual item. 

Hermes is widely known for the quality and excellence of their products. Every Hermes bag is handmade by highly skilled and professionally trained craftsmen with years of experience.  Each item produced, (omitted “by Hermes”) is made of the finest hand cut and stitched materials occasionally taking upwards of 4 days to complete.  When authenticating a Hermes item, it is very important to look at every single detail to ensure that it is perfect.

Stitching: All Hermes leather goods are meticulously hand stitched.  When examining the stitching, it is important to pay attention to the size and width of each stitch.  Stitches are generally sewn on a diagonal and are very small measuring roughly 3mm.

Stamping/Engraving: 
All Hermes leather pieces are given three specific stamps:  A date stamp, a craftsman stamp, and an HERMES stamp. The date stamp corresponds to the year the item was produced and the craftsman stamp is a unique stamp correlating to the specific craftsman who made the piece.

Date Stamps:  Hermes
bags can date as far back as 1945.  Bags produced that year were stamped with an “A”. 
Every year subsequent to that followed the sequence of the alphabet (i.e. bags made in 1946 were stamped “B”; those made in 1947 were stamped “C”, and so on). In 1971 Hermes began encasing date stamps in a circle to differentiate from preceding years, and started from the beginning of the alphabet again. In 1997 the circle was changed to a square and once again, they started the alphabet over.

Craftsman Stamps: Each craftsman has a unique stamp that identifies what bag they have produced. 
These stamps can be a combination of letters, and sometimes different symbols are used too.

Hermes Stamp: Hermes bags are stamped “HERMES PARIS MADE IN FRANCE”. Each (omitted “stamp”) is precisely stamped on straight with an accent mark over the second E in Hermes. The stamp matches the color of the hardware.  On Kelly and Birkin bags however, the Hermes stamps are not centered, but closer to the top of the bag instead.  If you see a Birkin with a centered Hermes stamp, this is an automatic giveaway for being a replica.

Hermes Leathers:The two most popular leathers used are Togo and Clemence. Togo is a scratch resistant leather that is made of baby calfskin, it has a defined soft pebbled finish that appears raised and feels smooth but grainy. Clemence is made from baby bull, this leather is textured and scratch resistant. The grain appears flatter and matte compared to the other grainy Togo leather. This leather makes bags slouchy as it is quite heavy.  These leathers are very similar in look, however Togo is grainier with more veins.  

Box Leather- Calfskin that is extremely smooth with a glossy finish. Scratches are more visible on this leather than the textured leathers but can be blended over time by light buffing. This is the oldest type of Hermes leather and frequently appears on vintage Kelly bags.
Swift- (Formerly Gulliver) It is a soft leather with fine grain. It can get scratches easily compared to Togo and Clemence but they can be removed by rubbing the mark. It is a great dye absorbent, and bright colors look more luminous with this leather.
Epsom (Stamped)- This is the new Courchevel leather and is lightweight and sturdy. It is embossed leather that holds its shape and is scratch resistant. Epsom leather is easy to clean.
Chevre- A soft goat hide leather that is lightweight and scratch resistant. There are three kinds of chevre leather with the difference being shown in the amount of grain.
Amozonia- Rubber coated canvas that resembles real leather. It is waterproof but prone to scratches. The opposite side of the material is usually the canvas without the rubber treatment. This material is no longer produced.

Beginning in the early 1980s Louis Vuitton began stamping the handbags and accessories they produced. These stamps are called date stamps and, depending on when the item was made, can tell us what country the item was produced in as well as the year, down to the week.

The stamps, excluding some produced in the early ‘80s, come with a combination of both numbers and letters. The two letters either at the beginning or end of the stamp represent the country of production. Louis Vuitton produces their items in six different countries: France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the US. Each factory location has its own unique combination of letters that they use in the date stamp. Matching the letters to the country is one way of the ways the authenticators at ASC check that the item being sold is an original.

From the early 1980s-1990 the numbers on the date stamps represented the month and year the item was produced. In the early 1980s the stamps only consisted of three or four numbers and did not have letters to represent the country. On these stamps the first two numbers represent the year, and the last one or two represent the month. For example a code that reads 8311 means that the bag was produced in November, 1983. Starting in the early and ending in the late 1980s, the stamps began using letters. Initially the letters came after the numbers but that changed in the late ‘80s when the letters were moved to be in front of the numbers. The two letters at either the front or end of the code represented the country of manufacture.

From 1990-2006 the codes still represented the country, month and year of production but they are just read differently. The first and third number represented the month and the second and fourth number represented the year. For example the stamp “SD0964” reads as being produced in June, 1994 in France.

Starting in 2007 and until now, the numbers are read to represent the week and year the item was made. The first and third numbers now represent the week made. For example the stamp “SD0269” reads as being produced in the sixth week of the year, or second week of February in 2009.

Date stamps can be stamped on leather tabs inside the bag, or stamped on the interior. Some are easier to spot and find then others. They can be especially difficult to read when they are stamped on LV’s suede like alcantara lining since this material wears more easily and the code can essentially rub off. Although our authenticators do consider the date stamp when looking at LV pieces, the presence of the date stamp does not necessarily mean that the item is authentic.