Whether you’re getting a preloved Dior handbag or selling your Dior item, Dior date codes is something you’ll have to deal with to verify authenticity. In this article we’ll share what’s a Dior date code, where to find it and how to read it.
Why Do Dior Date Codes Exist?
Dior introduced Date codes generally for the company’s purposes to fight the most common problem for the luxury brands: counterfeiting. As Dior handbags became popular, the company had to deal with billions of counterfeited items and find a way how to ‘mark’ authentic items.
We don’t know when exactly Dior introduced date codes on the leather tags. However, various sources mention that the fashion house first used a date code around 1997.
What would be the typical ways to confirm that this is a piece made by a specific person? Painters used signatures. Porcelain manufacturers used stamps. Other leather items’ manufacturers also use stamps and special fonts.
Dior is no exclusion. They invented a ‘date code’, a sequence of digits and letters hidden inside the purse. Some people also call them ‘serial numbers’, while in fact they represent information on where and when an item was made.
Employees also use date codes to define the age of the item (to see if it’s still under the manufacturer’s guarantee) as well as authenticate an item whenever it’s brought for repairs.
All in all, using a Dior date code you can define whether an item is authentic as well the item’s age.
By the way, another important aspect to consider when it comes to the authenticity is leather. We have compiled a comprehensive guide on Dior leathers - check it out!
What Do Dior Date Codes Look Like?
Dior date codes are not just random digits and letters. The date code on a Dior purse or wallet is a combination of digits, letters and dashes organized in a way that lets us know important information about a Dior item. Here's the order on newer items:
- 2 numbers
- 2 letters
- 4 numbers
On vintage Dior handbags, the order is slightly different. The letters and digits are separated by a space and the date code is shorter (it doesn't have the first two digits):
- 2 letters
- 4 numbers
Sometimes there are be variations to these rules. For instance, this is an authentic Dior date code with 3 letters and 4 digits:
Read more in our most counterfeited Dior bag codes guide.
Where Are Dior Date Codes Located?
Not sure where to find a Dior date code? Let’s find out. We have mentioned in our Dior Guide that each Dior handbag has a leather tag inside with a heat stamp that says ‘Christian Dior PARIS made in italy’. The tag generally has slightly rounded corners.
On the opposite side of this tag there’s a sequence of digits and letters. That's the Dior date code!
However, if the main stamp is on the handbag, the date code is usually in the pocket on a smaller leather tag. Search the corners The sequence of digits and letters has the same format.
How to Read Dior Date Codes?
As Dior is part of the LVMH family, the rules their date codes use are pretty close to the rules used by Louis Vuitton date codes:
- In a Dior date code, the letters indicate country of production. MA is Italy, MC is Spain etc.
- Last 4 digits indicate the month and the year when the bag was made. The first and third number indicate the month of manufacturing, the second and fourth number indicate the year.
In the example above, 06-MA-1019 means the bag was made in November of 2009 in Italy.
Where are Dior handbags made?
Dior has been manufacturing handbags for a while now. Generally, a handbag may be manufactured in the following countries: Italy, Spain, or France. There are also vintage handbags that have a 'PARIS, NEW YORK' inscription.
Are Christian Dior handbags made in France?
Yes. All Dior handbags that were made in France are vintage handbags without serial numbers. The production country is often indicated on a gold-tone metallic plate inside/outside the handbag.
'Made in France' can also be stamped into leather. It looks like a regular Christian Dior stamp with the exception of the date code.
Are Dior handbags made in Spain?
Yes, Spain is also a legit manufacturing country for all Christian Dior handbags. Please keep in mind that most of these handbags are vintage and manufactured in the 1990s and early 2000s.
How to Authenticate a Dior handbag?
If you are buying a pre-loved Dior purse, be sure to always order professional authentication, especially if you are buying from a private seller, but not only. Read How You Can Buy a Fake Bag From A Reputable Consignment Store.
We can help with authentication a Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Dior item. Please order one of the three types of authentication:
- good when you need to know whether the bag is real or fake for yourself (e.g. when you are buying an item)
Certificate of Authenticity $35
- good when you need a certificate for any reason, either to sell the bag with the peace of mind or to return a fake bag to the seller if you purchased a fake
- includes a permanent certificate on lvbagaholic.com
Certificate of Authenticity with a thorough explanation $70
- good when you need a certificate and you need to know why the bag is authentic/not authentic for any reason, either to sell the bag with the peace of mind or return a fake bag to the seller if you purchased a fake.
- includes a permanent certificate on lvbagaholic.com
- includes an explanation of why the item is fake (detailed pictures and comparisons with an authentic bag, more than 10 pics included)
PLEASE CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS BELOW
Comments
I have a Lambskin Cannage Micro Lady Dior Vanity Case in black and mine says OOXMA-0290. Does anyone know about this code is real or not?
I have a Dior tote bag how do I authenticate it and what are the authentication things tags etc
I have a large Suede Lady Dior with the date code OOXMA-0125. Is this a custom piece? It seems authentic.