The letters on Louis Vuitton date codes indicate the factory where the item was made.  It's important to know that there is no official list of date code factory locations.  The list below has been compiled from awesome LV fans on on the internet as well as from what I have personally seen on authentic Louis Vuitton bags and Louis Vuitton accessories.  Please, let me know if you have any corrections for this list :) Location Code FRANCE A0, A1, A2, AA, AAS, AH, AN, AR, AS, BA, BC, BJ, BU, DK, DR, DU, DR, DT, CO, CT, CX, ET, FL, LA, LW, MB, MI, ML, MM, MS, NO, RA, RI, SA, SD, SF, SL, SN, SP, SR, TA, TJ, TH, TN, TR, TS, VI, VX ITALY BC, BO, CE, FH, FJ, FN, FO, IS, LP, MA, NZ, OB, PL, RC, RE, SA, TD, US SPAIN BC, CA, GI, LO, LB, LM, LW, UB USA FC, FH, FL, LA, OS, SD, TX GERMANY LP, OL SWITZERLAND DI, FA SCOTLAND AB CLICK to see more from Authentic Street

  A question I see often regarding buying preloved LV is "If I'm curious about the authenticity of my bag can I just take it to Louis Vuitton to have it authenticated?  Nope. Unfortunately LV will not authenticate used bags.  The reason for this makes sense - it's not their job.  The Louis Vuitton boutiques are for buying new items and the sales associates are busy helping clients.  It also wouldn't make sense for Louis Vuitton employees to authenticate because they are not trained for that.  To authenticate all items that people would bring in they would need to know the insides and outside of ever item LV has ever made.  This would be an entire job on top of the job they already do. So that opens up the need for people who do have this knowledge base to become professional Louis Vuitton authenticators. Professional authenticators are not employed by Louis Vuitton and are not affiliated with LV in any way.  There is no official list of authenticators or license to obt

When you send in a Louis Vuitton item in to be authenticated there are certain pictures the authenticator will need to see.  For some items more pics might be needed but your authenticator will let you know if they need more.  At minimum you will need a picture of the item from the front and the side, heat stamp, date code, zipper pull, rivets, and hardware.  It's very important that this pictures are CLEAR, CLOSE UP and STRAIGHT ON.  This can be frustrating on the smaller parts - but some counterfeit Louis Vuitton can be very well made and telling the difference can come down to the smallest detail.  Below are examples of what pictures are needed for the Neverfull.   First you'll need a full pic of the bag or accessory - front and side.  HEAT STAMP - This is where it says LOUIS VUITTON made in... DATE CODE - Most items made from early 1980's to 2021 will have a date code . ZIPPER PULL - Pretty self explanatory.  This is the part that pulls the zipper. RIVETS - Flat metal b

Want to learn about Louis Vuitton date codes? Well here is the quick and dirty. Date codes existed on almost all Louis Vuitton items from the early 1980's to 2021 when LV introduced microchips instead of date codes. The letters on the date code indicate the factory where the item was made.  Louis Vuitton Date Codes 2007 - 2021 2 letters followed by 4 numbers example: SD3175 The letters indicate the factory. First and third numbers are the WEEK of the year. The second and fourth number are the year . SD 3175 = SD factory, 37 th week of 20 15 1990 - 2006 2 letters and 4 numbers example: SP1907 The letters indicate the factory. First and third numbers are the MONTH of the year. The second and fourth numbers are the year . SP 1907 = S P factory, 10th month of 19 97 late 1980's 2 letters and 3 or 4 numbers example: VI8912 The letters indicate the factory. The first 2 numbers are the year. The last numbe

So, you're strolling though your local thrift store when you come upon a bag that looks like Louis Vuitton.  Could it be real?  Could you really have found a bag worth hundreds or even thousands for only a few bucks? Beginner's Guide to Authenticating L ouis Vuitton Here are 3 quick things you can look for to rule out the obvious Louis Vuitton fakes.  Please keep in mind that there are always exceptions to every rule and getting your bag  professionally authenticated  is always best. Is my Louis Vuitton Real or Fake? 1) QUALITY First look at the overall  quality.  While there may be imperfections here and there depending on where and when it was made - the overall quality of authentic LV should be good and should be reflective of a luxury brand.   So, plastic looking parts and sloppy paint jobs should not be present. Good quality also includes proper alignment of the monogram pattern. Louis Vuitton artisans will line up the monogram pattern as cleanly as possible on their items