UPDATED Oct 1st, 2018
HERMES LOGO AND BLIND STAMP:
Let's start by saying that every HERMES item is entirely handmade. There is no machine, not even for 1 single sewing. Each finished product may differ slightly from an identical one, which has been hand sewed, for example, by another leather craftman. The HERMES logo print has to be P-E-R-F-E-C-T. No smearing, perfectly sharp, and perfectly in line with the top hand stiches. Here are a few logos of Authentic HERMES bags and accessories we sold, or that we currently have on sale:
All HERMES leather items have blind stamps. Canvas and other material accessories may have an internal tag, as the one seen below:
HERMES blind stamp letters have been used, and are currently used in alphabetical order to the bags year of production, surrounded by a shape. From 1945 to 1970, there is NO SHAPE around the year letter reference. From 1971 to 1996, there is a CIRCLE enclosing the year letter reference. From 1997 to PRESENT, a SQUARE encloses the year letter reference.
Here is the blind stamp with a "C" letter, enclosed in a CIRCLE, of a Black Leather KELLY SPORT Shoulder bag. This means 1977.
Additional numbers or references close to the blind stamp may indicate the location where the item has been marked.
YEAR REFERENCE GUIDE:
Below is the reference year guide which can help you out to identify the year of your HERMES item:
LETTER WITH NO SHAPE (1945 to 1970) - LETTER ENCLOSED IN CIRCLE (1971 to 1996) - LETTER ENCLOSED IN SQUARE ( 1997 to 2014)
| No Shape | Circle | Square |
|
|
|
2015 has a "T" letter, but without any SHAPE enclosing it!
In 2016, HERMES has changed its Blind Stamp location on several iconic bag models (i.e. Birkins).
There is soo much more to add on HERMES authentication. I would recommend several video tutorials and picture close-ups which may be found on the web. There are also several well known authenticators, which we may recommend. Please do not hesitate to ask for any further detail!