Luxury bags, watches & jewelry · verification · updated June 26, 2026
Where the Hermès blind stamp lives, how to read it, and — honestly — whether you can verify it online at all.
RealCheck › Luxury bags, watches & jewelry › Hermès serial check
Read the code
Format: Hermès uses a heat-pressed 'blind stamp': the Hermès logo plus a date letter, historically enclosed in a shape (square, then circle, then no shape in recent years) that indicates the production year, accompanied by the artisan's craftsman mark. It is debossed without ink ('blind').
Where to find it: Under the front flap/strap on a Birkin/Kelly, or on an interior strap — placement is model-specific.
Don't stop at the code
A correct-looking code on a poorly-made item still means fake — and fakers copy valid codes. Cross-check the code against the physical tells below.
| What to check | Genuine | Fake |
|---|---|---|
| Saddle stitching | Hand saddle-stitched with waxed linen thread: stitches sit at a consistent slight angle and are subtly, naturally irregular — the mark of one human hand. | Machine stitching that's dead-straight and too perfectly even, or stitches at inconsistent angles. |
| Blind stamp | Clean, evenly debossed logo + date letter + craftsman stamp, correctly placed for the model and era. | Stamp too deep/shallow, wrong font, wrong shape for the claimed year, or mislocated. |
| Hardware | Gold- or palladium-plated, heavy, engraved 'HERMÈS PARIS MADE IN FRANCE'; the turn-lock and Touraine screws are flush and precise. | Light or yellowish plating, shallow/misspelled engraving, or screws that don't align. |
| Leather & feet | Premium Togo/Clemence/Epsom grain; the bag stands squarely on its base studs; tonal, even edge paint. | Plasticky or overly uniform grain, a bag that won't stand straight, sloppy edge paint. |
| Symmetry & shape | Perfectly symmetrical handles, even sangles, structured corners that hold their shape. | Lopsided handles, soft mushy corners, uneven hardware placement. |
Buy verified
eBay's Authenticity Guarantee has qualifying items independently inspected by experts before they ship to you — a free third-party check on top of the tells above.
FAQ