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Hermes Symbols and Stamps Authentication guide

[GUIDE] All Hermes Symbols and Stamps (100+ Examples)

Every fashion lover speaks of Hermes fashion house with admiration, because owning an iconic bag is a top dream of every stylish woman. Made of fine leather, handcrafted by several artisans, having a simple but recognizable look, available only in limited numbers, these bags are coveted by all the ardent fashionistas.

Unlike many other brands, Hermes doesn't scream about itself by placing huge logos and proving their bags are real. Manufacturers don't add any tags or authenticity cards. All information about bags is contained in special symbols embossed on leather, and that is called a blind stamp. In this article, we will talk about this significant part of every Hermes bag, reveal what kind of info you can get by reading a stamp, and find where these tiny symbols are located.

Let's get started!

 

What is A Hermes Blind Stamp?

what's a blind stamp in hermes bags

A code or a serial number is a significant element of each high-end bag, as plenty of people want to make sure they aren't buying a counterfeit. To tell an original Hermes bag from a fake one luxury brands, such as Hermes, have designed their own special code. Without adding extra details to the bag, like leather tags (because every single purse is crafted manually, even stitching is handmade), the brand has created its own way to show the age of a bag and to prove it's an authentic item.

Hermes embosses date codes directly on leather. They are called blind stamps.

  • An Hermes blind stamp is a heat stamp in the form of a single letter, sometimes surrounded by a shape, which indicates the year of manufacturing.

It is called a blind stamp because it's hidden somewhere inside the bag and are  therefore tricky to find. Usually, the fashion house uses letters in alphabetical order, changing them each year. Later versions of the heat stamp also provide information about craftsmen and have additional letters and numbers.

Why is it so important to have this heat stamp on the bags? Well, Hermes has a strict policy about everything concerning their products, for example, only the team that manufactured a purse has a right to repair it. When a bag is sent for repair the experts can easily identify where and when it was made just looking at the heat stamp. 

Such a method makes Hermes bags extremely hard to authenticate, if judging by embossing only. So it's better not to rely on it, but also to examine other features. The brand is not issuing any cards, but if a bag is missing a blind stamp it's definitely a fake. Styles of the blind stamp change every year, so let's take a closer look at its history.

Does Hermes have date codes?

Hermes blind stamps are sometimes called date codes as they directly indicate a year of manufacturing. However, the term 'date code' is mostly used when discussing Louis Vuitton date codes, or other brands that use some kind of codes consisting of letters and digits on their bags.

Do all Hermes bags have blind stamps?

Actually, no. Only leather items from Hermes have blind stamps. For instance, fabric handbags don't have any stamps and instead have a special tag. 

 

 

Where To Find A Hermes Blind Stamp?

hermes symbols and stamps

An obvious question that comes to everyone's mind: where do I find this hidden stamp? Hermes keeps changing the location of their blind stamp, and it can be different depending on the model of the bag and the year. One detail that never changes is that it's made on leather items only! That's totally fine to see heat stamp in various places when examining different bags, there are no strict rules for that.

You can look for the blind stamp on the following parts of a Hermes bag:

  1. Behind a plaque.
  2. Inside the bag (on the top of the side panel).
  3. On the reverse side of the closure straps.
  4. Inside the exterior pocket.

How to Find a Stamp on Hermes Birkin

Use our visual guidance to find the date stamp on your Hermes Birkin bag.

On pre-2015 handbags the blind stamp is located on one of the sangles, or the two narrow leather pieces that are connected by the front lock.

vintage Hermes Birkin stamp location

On newer Birkin bags, it's a little more complicated. Generally, you should search for the date code on the inside, on the top of the left side.

new Hermes Birkin stamp location

It's worth noting, however, that stamps might fade with time. If your bag doesn't seen to have a stamp inside, that doesn't necessarily mean it's counterfeit.

 

 

A Comprehensive Guide to Dating Your Hermès Bag

One of the key steps in determining the age of your Hermès bag or authenticating it (mind that it's not the only one!) is finding the blind stamp. Hermès blind stamps (sometimes referred to as date stamps) provide valuable information about the year in which the bag or any other leather item was produced.

Overall, we can highlight the five distinct Hermes eras and the corresponding date stamp formats.

 

Stage 1: No Stamps (1922-1944)

first hermes blind stamps

During the first era, which started with the establishment of the Hermès leather goods department in 1922 and lasted until 1944, Hermès bags did not have any stamps. The introduction of the date stamp system marked the following era.

 

Stage 2: A One-Letter Blind Stamp (1945-1970)

The second era started in 1945 and saw the introduction of the blind stamps, which consisted of a single letter. This system ran through the entire alphabet and concluded in 1970 after twenty-five years. At that time, most stamps contained just one letter without any other Hermes symbols beside them.

Twenty-five years later the first era came to an end, and Hermes started to think about how to continue the stamping system.

 

Stage 3: A Letter in a Circle Stamp (1971-1996)

In the third era, Hermes decided to stick to the same letter system, with one modification. They added a circle around the letter. Bags produced between 1971 and 1996 can be identified by the combination of the letter and the surrounding circle shape, although closer to the end of this era, Hermes started to add other symbols next to the letter itself.

hermes symbol letter in a circle

Therefore, if you see an encircled letter you can undoubtedly say that a bag was made before 1996. It was the last time when all the letters of the Latin alphabet were used in their correct order without interruptions. 

 

Stage 4: A Letter in a Square Stamp (1997-2014)

The fourth era followed a similar format to the previous two, but this time the enclosed circle was replaced with a perfect square. Bags created between 1997 and 2014 feature a date code with a letter and a surrounding square shape. These bags might only show one circled letter, but it's not surprising to see other symbols close to the blind stamp.

letter in a square hermes stamp 1990s-2000s

Following traditions in 1997, the design was changed, letters then appeared in a perfect square. This stage ended in 2014 with letter R being the last. After that period, the fashion house invented a brand new way to show their date code.

 

Stage 5: Streamlined Blind Stamp System (2015-Present)

In the fifth and final era, Hermès adopted a streamlined Blind Stamp system with a date code starting from 2015 onwards. Bags created during this time exhibit a stamp in the format of "L LL 123 LL." The first letter represents the Date Stamp, while the subsequent letters and numbers indicate the Craftsman Stamps. Unlike previous eras, the letters in the Date Stamp are unaccompanied by other stamps from craftsmen who create the bag.

In 2015 Hermes started to add special craftsmen combination placing it next to the date code. Until now, it looks like a line made of letters and numbers, where the initial letter means the year of production and everything else is a code of manufacturers (called craftsmen stamp). Letters again are plain and not surrounded by any shape.

Another interesting feature of this period is that Hermes decided to be unpredictable to impede counterfeiters from copying their codes beforehand. Once they have revolutionized their date stamp system, Hermes didn't start from the beginning of the alphabet, nor did they continue with the next letter after 2014. They have started to mix the letters from the beginning and from the end of the alphabet to be unpredictable.

This was made to get rid of counterfeits, who were ready to flood the market with fake Hermes bags. Skipping S in 2015 and later B in 2018 was a very clever move by the fashion house.

 

Hermes Date Stamps List By Year: Chart

2024 to be seen
2023 B stamp
2022  U stamp 2022 hermes stamp U UPY901 XG
2021 Z stamp 2021 hermes stamp Z ZRY089 NY
2020 Y stamp 2020 hermes stamp Y YTI254 AT
2019 D stamp 2019 DCT192 DY hermes stamp D
2018 C stamp 2018 CPY 137 IF hermes stamp C
2017 A stamp 2017 ACT184 HA hermes stamp A
2016 X stamp 2016 XPY734 PH hermes stamp X
2015 T stamp 2015 hermes stamp T AS 005 KI
2014 R square stamp 2014 hermes stamp R square 11A point circle
2013 square stamp 2013 hermes stamp Q square 139A plus
2012 square stamp 2012 hermes stamp P square diamond FP
2011 square stamp 2011 hermes stamp O square 26A hourglass
2010 square stamp 2010 hermes stamp N square 20A
2009 M square stamp 2009 hermes stamp M square 126
2008 square stamp 2008 hermes stamp L square 155S
2007 square stamp 2007 hermes stamp K square 170s
2006 square stamp 2006 hermes stamp J square 15sa
2005 square stamp 2005 hermes stamp I square
2004 square stamp 2004 hermes stamp H square
2003 square stamp 2003 hermes stamp G square
2002 square stamp 2002 hermes stamp F square
2001 square stamp 2001 hermes stamp E square
2000 square stamp 2000 hermes stamp D square
1999 square stamp hermes stamp 1999 C square
1998 square stamp hermes stamp 1998 B square
1997 square stamp hermes stamp 1997 A square
1996 Z circle stamp hermes stamp 1996 Z circle
1995 Y circle stamp
hermes stamp 1995 Y circle 18 z
1994 X circle stamp hermes stamp 1994 X circle
1993 W circle stamp hermes stamp 1993 W circle
1992 V circle stamp hermes stamp 1992 V circle
1991 U circle stamp hermes stamp 1991 U circle
1990 T circle stamp hermes stamp 1990 T circle
1989 S circle stamp hermes stamp 1989 S circle
1988 R circle stamp hermes stamp 1988 R circle
1987 Q circle stamp hermes stamp 1987 Q circle
1986 P circle stamp hermes stamp 1986 P circle
1985 O circle stamp hermes stamp 1985 O circle
1984 N circle stamp hermes stamp 1984 N circle
1983 M circle stamp hermes stamp 1983 M circle
1982 L circle stamp hermes stamp 1982 L circle
1981 K circle stamp hermes stamp 1981 K circle
1980 J circle stamp hermes stamp 1980  J circle
1979 I circle stamp hermes stamp 1979 I circle
1978 circle stamp hermes stamp 1978  H circle
1977 circle stamp hermes stamp 1977  G circle
1976 F circle stamp hermes stamp 1976  F circle
1975 E circle stamp hermes stamp 1975  E circle
1974 D circle stamp hermes stamp 1974  D circle
1973 C circle stamp hermes stamp 1973  C circle
1972 B circle stamp hermes stamp 1972  B circle
1971 circle stamp hermes stamp 1971 A circle s 14
1970 Vintage Z stamp 1970 hermes vintage stamp Z
1969 Vintage Y stamp 1969 hermes vintage stamp Y
1968 Vintage X stamp 1968 hermes vintage stamp X
1967 Vintage W stamp 1967 hermes vintage  stamp W
1966 Vintage V stamp 1966 hermes vintage stamp V
1965 Vintage U stamp 1965 hermes vintage stamp U
1964 Vintage T stamp 1964 hermes vintage stamp T
1963 Vintage S stamp 1963 hermes vintage stamp S
1962 Vintage R stamp 1962 hermes vintage stamp R
1961 Vintage Q stamp 1961 hermes vintage stamp Q
1960 Vintage P stamp 1960 hermes vintage stamp P
1959 Vintage O stamp 1959 hermes vintage stamp O
1958 Vintage N stamp 1958 hermes vintage stamp N
1957 Vintage M stamp 1957 hermes vintage stamp M
1956 Vintage L stamp 1956 hermes vintage stamp L
1955 Vintage K stamp 1955 hermes vintage stamp K
1954 Vintage J stamp 1954 hermes vintage stamp J
1953 Vintage I stamp 1953 hermes vintage stamp I
1952 Vintage H stamp 1952 hermes vintage stamp H
1951 Vintage G stamp 1951 hermes vintage stamp G
1950 Vintage F stamp 1950 hermes vintage stamp F
1949 Vintage E stamp 1949 hermes vintage stamp E
1948 Vintage D stamp 1948 hermes vintage stamp D
1947 Vintage C stamp 1947 hermes vintage stamp C
1946 Vintage B stamp 1946 hermes vintage stamp B
1945 Vintage A stamp 1945 hermes vintage stamp A

 

If besides the history of Hermes blind stamps you want to know more about the Hermes fashion house, check our Hermes 101: Everything You Need To Know About Your Favorite Handbag Designer.

Want to upgrade your authentication skills and learn other features to pay attention to while buying a Hermes bag, take a look at our guide on how to spot a fake Birkin

Need to Authenticate an Hermes Bag?

Keep in mind that the blind stamp alone is not enough to authenticate a Hermes purse. There are many other features that matter. If you plan to buy a pre-loved high-end bag, the best decision is to let a professional take a closer look at the item.

If you need to authenticate an Hermes bag, please order one of the three types of authentication:

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