Locate the serial number. There must be a serial number placed somewhere within the bag's interior. Prior to the late 1990s, the serial number was printed on a white sticker with the Chanel logo printed in gold across the background. From the late 1990s to the present, the serial number has been printed on a white sticker beneath 2 gold Chanel. All Chanel handbags have their own unique serial number, so the same number should never be repeated for multiple bags. If you find 2 bags with the same serial number, chances are both bags will be fake. The serial sticker is only one of many checkpoints for authenticating a Chanel bag.
Chanel bags never go out of style. Vintage bags well over 30 years old are still in-trend and are very costly. And each year, these bags only appreciate in price. So, it's no wonder that NO ONE ever throws out their Chanel. Here is a Chanel serial sticker guide to help you date your bag.
Before Mid 1980's - no sticker
Chanel did not apply serial stickers at this time. It is a common mistake to assume that all Chanel bags must have a serial sticker to be authentic.
It's also important to mention that serial stickers can wear off or be removed. Fake Chanel bags oftentimes have serial stickers too.
Mid 1980's - 6 digit (1XXXXX - 42XXXX)
This time period had a very plain sticker. The number part may be more centered or left-oriented as shown above.
If the sticker is viewed at an angle, a CC logo may be perceptible, but usually not.
Chanel Serial Number Guide Chart
Late 1980's to 1990 - 7 digit (043XXXX - 15XXXXX)
Serial stickers changed to 7 digits but are still in sequential order. A 0 is added to the front for numbers lower than 1000000. Not only that, but the CC logo is more bold, and the sticker design is updated.
1990 to 1991 - 7 digit (16XXXXX - 19XXXXX)
CC pattern and font is changed.
1991 to 1993 - 7 digit (20XXXXX - 26XXXXX)
The appearance of the sticker drastically changes.
1993 to 1998 - 7 digit (27XXXXX - 56XXXXX)
What Do Chanel Serial Numbers Mean
There are several changes for this period. Most notably, the ink for these numbers is much heavier than that of previous stickers, and the sticker also has a slight texture.
1998 to 2021 - 7 digit to 8 digits (57XXXXX - 3XXXXXXX)
Chanel has not changed their serial sticker design since 1998. It is white with number and CC logos with a clear overlay sticker. On the left side, there is a dark vertical stripe. On the right side, there is Chanel text. There is a rectangular cut around the white part and an x cut across the white part. There will also be very fine gold glitter underneath the sticker. The amount of glitter really varies, and sometimes other colored glitter can be found, like blue.
Counterfeitors have become very good at faking these stickers, so many non-experts are getting duped with fake bags. Since it has been more than 20 years since the last sticker update, a new sticker design is welcome by most Chanel enthusiasts.
All Chanel handbags have their own unique serial number, so the same number should never be repeated for multiple bags. If you find 2 bags with the same serial number, chances are both bags will be fake.
The serial sticker is only one of many checkpoints for authenticating a Chanel bag. However, many fakes do this part wrong, so this alone can weed out many counterfeits.
The fashion house of Chanel uses a unique numeric serial number in each of their bags which then matches a Chanel Authenticity Card with the same number that comes with each Chanel accessory to help insure you are purchasing an authentic Chanel product. The serial codes have different lengths of numbers depending on which year the Chanel product was produced.
The guide below gives you a better understanding of the year of the bag associated with the Chanel serial number:
Serial Number: Year: Style of Serial Number Bag Sticker:
25XXXXXX 2018 - Present 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
24XXXXXX 2017 - 2018 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
23XXXXXX 2017 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
22XXXXXX 2016 - 2017 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
21XXXXXX 2015 - 2016 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
20XXXXXX 2014 - 2015 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
19XXXXXX 2014 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
18XXXXXX 2013 - 2014 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
17XXXXXX 2012 - 2013 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
16XXXXXX 2012 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
15XXXXXX 2011 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
14XXXXXX 2010 - 2011 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
13XXXXXX 2009 - 2010 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
12XXXXXX 2008 - 2009 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
11XXXXXX 2006 - 2008 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
10XXXXXX 2005 - 2006 8 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
9XXXXX 2004 - 2005 7 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
8XXXXX 2003 - 2004 7 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
7XXXXX 2002 - 2003 7 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
6XXXXX 2000 - 2002 7 digit serial number, white sticker with gold flakes, 2 Chanel Logos
5XXXXX 1997 - 1999 7 digit serial number, white sticker with Chanel Logos
4XXXXX 1996 - 1997 7 digit serial number, white sticker with Chanel Logos
3XXXXX 1994 - 1996 7 digit serial number, white sticker with Chanel Logos
2XXXXX 1991 - 1994 7 digit serial number, white sticker with Chanel Logos
1XXXXX 1989 - 1991 7 digit serial number, white sticker with Chanel Logos
0XXXXX 1986 - 1988 7 digit serial number, large white sticker