Hermes has stamped its bags with a year letter since 1945, and the shape around the letter tells you which cycle a bag belongs to: no shape from 1945 to 1970, a circle from 1971 to 1996, and a square from 1997 to 2014. From 2015 onward, the stamp is a bare letter and the sequence skips around.
What the date stamp is, and what it is not
Every Hermes bag carries a blind stamp: letters and symbols pressed into the leather without ink, usually small, faint and genuinely hard to photograph. The date stamp is the part that names the year. Next to it sits the craftsman's stamp, a separate mark that identifies the artisan or workshop that made the piece.
It is not a serial number. Hermes does not publish a public registry, and the stamp alone is not a certificate of authenticity. Treat it as one strong data point among many, alongside construction, hardware, grain and provenance.
The cycles: how the shapes work
The system runs in cycles, and the same letters repeat roughly every 26 years. The shape around the letter is what separates one cycle from the next, which matters because an A on its own could be 1945, 1971 or 1997.
| Cycle | Shape | Years | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | No shape | 1945 to 1970 | A = 1945, Z = 1970 |
| Second | Circle | 1971 to 1996 | A = 1971, Z = 1996 |
| Third | Square | 1997 to 2014 | A = 1997, R = 2014 |
| Modern | No shape | 2015 onward | T = 2015, X = 2016 |
Two details our team checks at intake: production moved away from the square late in 2014, so a small number of late-2014 bags can appear in the modern format, and a handful of 2011 designs carried a JO stamp in place of a plain O.
The modern era: T to K, in a deliberate skip pattern
From 2015 the letters stop being alphabetical. Hermes skips letters on purpose, a quiet counterfeit deterrent that also trips up casual dating.
| Year | Letter | Year | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | T | 2021 | Z |
| 2016 | X | 2022 | U |
| 2017 | A | 2023 | B |
| 2018 | C | 2024 | W |
| 2019 | D | 2025 | K |
| 2020 | Y | 2026 | G (reported) |
Two notes on reading this table. The 2018 letter is C rather than B, and B appears again for 2023, which is why collectors date by the full pattern rather than the letter alone. For 2026, the letter circulating in collector charts is G; confirm recent letters against a current chart when a bag reaches the market.
The LDJ edit
Shop Hermes
Hermès Craie Clemence Picotin Lock 18
Cond: Condition: Excellent
Hermès Orange Poppy Evercolor Lindy 30
Cond: Condition: Very Good
Where to find the stamp on your bag
- Birkin and Kelly: pre-2016, check the exterior strap arm first; from 2016 the stamp sits inside, on the interior panel;
- Constance: interior middle panel;
- Evelyne, Picotin and other soft shapes: often on a strap or the interior leather;
- Small leather goods: check straps and interior leather panels.
Use a phone light and take the photo straight on rather than at an angle. Blind stamps are the same tone as the leather, so they disappear in glare and in shadow alike.
Special stamps worth knowing
- A horseshoe marks a custom piece, known as a special order;
- A shooting star marks a craftsman's personal piece;
- An S marks sale and employee pieces sold at a discount;
- Exotic skins carry their own symbols, including a square for alligator and a caret for porosus crocodile.
These marks change what a piece is, not when it was made. A sale stamp, for example, is permanent and follows the bag through every future sale, so it is better to know it exists before you negotiate.
Reading a stamp correctly: habits that save money
- Match the stamp to the era of everything around it: hardware, interior, stitching and shape;
- Check the placement against the year, since post-2016 Birkins and Kellys carry the stamp inside;
- Photograph in raking light, then compare the letter, shape and depth with a current chart;
- Stay skeptical of a perfect stamp on a bag with a mismatched story, because the stamp is the easiest part to copy;
- When a stamp is missing or unreadable, lean on provenance and a professional review rather than a hunch.
One caution our authenticators repeat often: superfakes exist, and they can reproduce a correct letter for the year. The stamp narrows the story; it does not end it. Construction, grain, stitching and hardware weight carry the rest.
What the year tells you next
Once you have the year, the follow-up questions are usually about color and leather, because the same shade changes character across decades. Our Hermes color guide maps the house palette and how finishes age, and if you are still working toward a boutique offer, these tips on scoring a Birkin cover the realistic path.
For pieces that are already out there, browse our authenticated Hermes collection, where the year, stamp details and condition notes are documented per piece.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Hermes date stamp?
On Birkins and Kellys made before 2016, check the exterior strap arm first; from 2016 the stamp moved inside to the interior panel. Constance bags carry it on the interior middle panel, and small leather goods often keep it on a strap or interior leather panel. A phone light and a straight-on photo make it easier to read.
What does the letter mean?
The letter names the year, and the shape around it places the cycle: no shape from 1945 to 1970, a circle from 1971 to 1996, a square from 1997 to 2014, and no shape again from 2015 onward. Because letters repeat across cycles, never read the letter without the shape.
Do Birkins have serial numbers?
No, Birkins and Kellys do not carry serial numbers in the Chanel sense, and Hermes keeps no public registry. Identity rests on the date stamp, the craftsman's mark, the bag's construction and, when it exists, the original purchase record.
The LDJ edit
