How to buy authentic used Chanel | Authentication Guide, Serial Codes & Holograms
About Chanel Authenticity & Hologram Stickers
Chanel bags have always been the creme de la crème in the bag world. The brand is one of the most sought after. Prices are sky high and continue to increase. A bag purchased twenty years ago and in good condition can easily have a resale value of double or triple what the buyer paid at the time. They are also (along with Louis Vuitton) one of the most knocked-off bags in the world. Sometimes referred to as “super fakes”, Chanel knockoffs can easily fool those not familiar with the brand and sometimes those that are familiar. Even so, the best knock-off won’t touch the real thing.
Fake Chanel bags also come with fake hologram stickers and fake authenticity cards. So many people ask… “does it come with an authenticity card?” Unfortunately, authenticity cards mean nothing. A fake bag will have a fake authenticity card.
There are some tips that can help you in spotting the real from the not so real. In regards to authenticity cards, authentic authenticity cards will have a gold outer line going around the card. This line, if put in a certain light and held a certain way, should be uniform in the gold color… meaning, you will not see a “rainbow” in the gold. Fake authenticity cards are made with a different material and this material will show a rainbow in the gold when looked at from different angles.
Hologram Stickers: please see the guide below regarding hologram stickers, what they look like, and how to read them. Yes, fake bags will also have fake hologram stickers.
To tell a real Chanel bag from a “super fake”, you have to look at the font on the Chanel Made in lettering, the stitching, quilting, placement of pockets, placement of rivets, hardware, feel of leather and interior lining. All stitching will be evenly lined up. All rivets will be exact in placement and spacing. All quilts and stitches will line up on back pockets. The Chanel Made in lettering will be the same color as the hardware on the bag. Sometimes the Chanel Made in will be embossed directly into the leather (no color), or engraved onto a metal plaque inside the bag. Look at the font and how the lettering is spaced. See examples below of authentic Chanel fonts.
Chanel bags are either made in France or Italy. They will not say “made in Paris”.
Chanel bags that have had their linings replaced will not have hologram stickers. On older Chanel bags, the stickers may have fallen off as they will have dried out or been rubbed off from use. Even without the sticker present, it is easy for a person experienced in Chanel to know if it is authentic.
Below is a Chanel hologram reference guide. It shows what a Chanel hologram sticker will look like according to the year the bag was produced.
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made in 2017
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made in 2016
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2014 and 2015
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made in 2014
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2013 and 2014
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2012 and 2013
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made in 2012
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made in 2011
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2010 and 2011
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2009 and 2010
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2008 and 2009
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2006 and 2008
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2005 and 2006
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2004 and 2005
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2003 and 2004
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2002 and 2003
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 2000 and 2002
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 1997 and 1999
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 1996 and 1997
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 1994 and 1996
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 1991 and 1994
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 1989 and 1991
What an authentic Chanel hologram sticker looks like on a bag made between 1986 and 1988
