Louis Vuitton Date Codes Explained – Find the Manufacturing Year and Country

One of the most practical ways to research a Louis Vuitton bag's history is to read its date code. The code reveals the country of manufacture and roughly when the bag was made – useful information both for authenticity checks and for understanding the bag's age.

Important to know before you start: checking the date code is a good way to begin assessing authenticity, but it's not the only method and definitely not a guarantee. A bag can have a fully valid date code and still be a fake. If the seller's description doesn't match what the code shows, that's a warning sign, but even if everything matches up, you should still consult a professional authenticator if you have any doubts.

Where do I find the code?

The date code is stamped directly into the leather, usually on the inside of the bag: in an inner pocket, under a flap, or along an interior seam. Louis Vuitton began using these codes in the early 1980s, so bags made before then have no code at all – that's normal and not a warning sign in itself.

How the codes have changed over time

Before 1982

No date codes were used at all. Assess these bags instead based on materials, stitching and hardware.

1982 – mid 1980s

Codes consist of 3–4 digits with no letters. The first two digits show the year, the last 1–2 digits show the month.

Mid – late 1980s

Letters start being used to indicate the country of manufacture. The format is digits first, letters last: the first two digits show the year, the following 1–2 digits show the month, followed by the country letters.

1990 – 2006

The system changed so the country letters moved to the front of the code, followed by four digits. Digit 1 and 3 show the month, digit 2 and 4 show the year. Example: in the code VI0987, month = digit 1 and 3 (0 and 8 → "08"), year = digit 2 and 4 (9 and 7 → "97", i.e. 1997).

2007 – present

The format is the same as 1990–2006 (country letters + four digits), but now the digits show the manufacturing week instead of the month. Digit 1 and 3 = week, digit 2 and 4 = year.

Country Codes

The letters in the code indicate the country of manufacture. A few examples (this list isn't exhaustive and is occasionally updated by Louis Vuitton):

• France: A0, A1, A2, AA, AH, AN, AR, AS, BA, BE, BJ, BU, DR, DU, CO, CT, ET, FL, LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RI, SA, SD, SF, SL, SN, SP, SR, TJ, TH, TR, TS, TY, VI, VX
• Italy: BC, BO, CE, FO, MA, PL, RC, RE, SA, TB, TD, NZ
• Spain: CA, JJ (mostly straps), LO, LB, LM, LW, GI, UB
• Switzerland: DI, FA
• USA: FC, FH, LA, OS, SD, TX, FL
• Germany: LP

Note that some codes (such as SA and SD) appear in multiple countries – the date code alone doesn't always reveal the country of manufacture with full certainty, and must be interpreted together with other details on the bag. The code "AAS" is a special order code and doesn't follow the same pattern as the others.

Why It Matters

Beyond providing an indication of authenticity, the date code helps you understand the bag's approximate age, which also affects valuation and rarity. An early 1980s model with a well-preserved code is often especially sought after by collectors. But remember: a valid date code doesn't prove authenticity on its own – it's one tool among several.

All bags at The Vintage Gallery are manually inspected and we state the manufacturing year in the product description wherever the date code is legible. Browse our vintage Louis Vuitton bags and see the age and date code for each model.