EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHANEL’S SERIAL CODES
Chanel’s classic handbags, like the Classic Double Flap serving as the most prominent example, have remained their unwaning popularity, coveted by most women due to their timeless elegance and ability to institute themselves as a status symbol.
In an attempt to target counterfeits (which were rampant, even back then in the mid-’80s), Chanel began tagging their handbags and accessories with serial number stickers in 1986.
A Chanel authenticity card featuring the item’s serial number in gold.
Each Chanel-manufactured handbag came with its own unique serial number, which came embossed on each authenticity card issued with the product when purchased, and printed on a sticker attached somewhere on the handbag’s inner lining.
Though the serial numbers hardly contribute to determining the model or style of the handbag, they will however serve as a slight checkpoint in weeding out counterfeits. They also allow you to estimate the age of the bag.
A serial number beginning with “19”, indicating that the bag was produced in 2014.
The serial number corresponds to certain time periods of manufacturing at Chanel. For example, beginning in 1986, the serial numbers of bags produced then began with “0######” with the beginning number increasing every one year or two; finally in 2020, the serial numbers on Chanel’s bags were “30######”.
Even certain features of the date code stickers and its matching authenticity cards have gradually changed over the years.
1986 – 2000 Chanel serial stickers
A vintage Chanel bag manufactured some time between 1994 to 1996, featuring a serial number sticker with an opaque film and repetition of the “CC” logo throughout.
Beginning in 1986, the serial number stickers were covered with an opaque film with the interlocking “CC” logo spread throughout the white sticker (this feature was replaced with only a pair of interlocking “CC” placed directly above the serial numbers in 2000 onwards).
1997 – 2020 Chanel serial stickers
A 2018 Chanel bag with a serial number sticker sporting iridescent gold and blue glitter.
From 1997 on to 2020, the sticker evolved to feature a clear tape with gold and blue glitter throughout. The serial numbers are printed on two-layered holographic stickers printed with the serial number on the bottom layer, and inscribed on the top layer with an X, which prevents an authentic sticker from getting removed without being destroyed. The stickers have a gray vertical line on the left margin and a line with repeating “CHANEL” and the CC logo running vertically down the right margin.
There’s also notes to pick up from the numerals. From 2005 to 2020, the serial number consists of eight digits while from 1986 to 2005, there were only seven digits. If the serial number has a 0, the zero will feature a strikethrough in 1994 onwards while there isn’t a strikethrough on the zero if the bag is produced from 1986 to 1994.
Determining authenticity
However, Chanel’s serial number system isn’t exactly foolproof in its function of determining authenticity. With time, some serial number stickers may get detached from handbags; authentication cards can also be misplaced. Therefore, it is best to discern other features of the Chanel handbag to assess its authenticity, as a handbag missing these items may still be authentic.
In true fashion of keeping up with the times, Chanel rescinded its serial sticker system in 2021 and in its place, embedded microchips in a metal block attached to the inside of the bag. These microchips use blockchain technology that can be used to digitally verify a product’s authenticity and track its life cycle. Alleged to be impossible to be replicated by counterfeiters, this electronic system is aimed to improve the security and protection of Chanel’s intellectual property.
Chanel Serial Number Chart
To assist you further in determining the manufacturing age of your bag (if it was produced prior to 2021) as well as detect any discrepancies to your bag’s stated origins, use the chart we’ve compiled below.
Serial Number
Year Manufactured
–– (Microchip)
2021+
31
######
2021
30######
2020
29######
2019
28######
2019
27######
2019
26######
2018-2019
25######
2018
24######
2017-2018
23######
2017
22######
2016-2017
21######
2015-2016
20######
2014-2015
19######
2014
18######
2013-2014
17######
2012-2013
16######
2012
15######
2011
14######
2010-2011
13######
2009-2010
12######
2008-2009
11######
2006-2008
10######
2005-2006
9######
2004-2005
8######
2003-2004
7######
2002-2003
6######
2000-2002
5######
1997-1999
4######
1996-1997
3######
1994-1996
2######
1991-1994
1######
1989-1991
0######
1986-1988
