I love authentication lessons on real bags. Whenever we have a fake bag on hand, we get an excellent opportunity to compare not only pictures but also a lot of fake and a real bag next to each other. I am very excited cause today is one of the best authentication lessons we've ever made.
Here are two Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Graffiti bags. Can you tell which bag is authentic and which one is fake?
Both bags look nice, right? The left one has patina on the handles, and some of us believe fakes do not have this kind of patina. The right one might look too fresh for her age (this bag was released in 2009). The letters on the left bag are larger than on the right bag. But let's remember the key to authentication: details and inconsistencies with an original bag.
So here's the secret: the lily pink bag is FAKE, the neon pink is AUTHENTIC. Let's learn the giveaways!
READ MORE ON AUTHENTICATION:
- [GUIDE] Louis Vuitton Neverfull Fake vs Real (50 Examples)
- How Can You Spot a Fake Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis?
- How to Tell if This Louis Vuitton Catogram Neverfull MM Is Real Or Fake?
- How To Tell if a Louis Vuitton Graffiti Speedy is Real or Fake?
Louis Vuitton Zipper Puller Authentication
The bags seem to be sisters to an untrained eye, but look, can you see the difference in the size of the vachetta zipper pull? It is smaller on the authentic bag. Please also note that the metal part of the zipper pull is longer on the left one.
If you compare the bags side by side, you can see that metal zippers are shaped differently. On the authentic bag, the metal zipper pull part longer. The size and shape of zipper puller also differ on both bags.
Louis Vuitton Speedy Handles Authentication
Now that picture is very important. Take a closer look at the handle, specifically at the part where vachetta meets hardware. We are interested in stitching and its shape. On the fake bag, the stitching is shaped like a sharp V. The stitches are a bit sloppy and between two rows of stitches that come together, the vachetta is embedded inwards while on the authentic bag the vachetta is embedded outwards as if this part was stuffed with leather. The stitching on the authentic handle is also shaped more like a U. This is a very important factor for authenticating Louis Vuitton Speedy bags (not only the Graffiti Speedy), cause many fakes got this part completely wrong.
Louis Vuitton Speedy Size Reference
Note the font in the size reference.
The type of material is also different. The authentic bag is fluffy, the fake one is plain. If we don't know which font is the right one, it doesn't mean anything.
Louis Vuitton Date Code Authentication
The font difference is obvious. What you see on the right is a typical Louis Vuitton date code font. On the left picture, the letters are stretched, and even though I have to admit they got the country and the week correct, this limited edition line was introduced only in 2009 so there's very little chance it could be manufactured at the beginning of 2007 (most of these bags were made in 2008-2009). This is one of the cases when online date code authentication is not enough cause if we decipher the date code without paying attention to its font, the date code checker will return the verdict that this bag is authentic.
Louis Vuitton did have a similar font but that was back in 2001 when the Stephen Sprouse Graffiti line was first released. It was the first Louis Vuitton Limited Edition.
Louis Vuitton Heatstamp Authentication
What we see is different shapes, different fonts, different locations of the heat stamp. The letters on the fake one are very close to each other like there was not enough space and the R trademark sign is very large if you compare it to the real one.
There's one more secret on how you can tell the pink bag is not authentic. A Graffiti bag in this color was never released by Louis Vuitton. But if you do not know that fast, at least you have other signs to tell a fake.
Great thanks and hugs to #luxurylvoers for these awesome pictures.
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What To Do Next?
If you need to authenticate a Louis Vuitton item, please order one of the three types of authentication:
Verbal Authentication $20
- good when you need a certificate for any reason,
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
While I was trying to authenticate a bag like this one to buy for myself, I also noticed that the graffiti writings on the fake one are a bit nonsensical .When you start to read them- there are letters added , or words that are incomplete. For example on the forth row of the graffiti on the fake bag the writing is-Vuitton Par ttovar and it goes on, so when you try to read it , it gets difficult to understand the meaning while with the original, the writing goes left and right but you can always follow louis vuitton paris.