How to authenticate a Hermès Handbag: Spotting Fake Birkin & Kelly Bags

Do you want to know if your Hermès bag is real? In this guide, we explain how to authenticate originals and detect high-quality fakes using serial numbers (Blind Stamps), stitching, and logo embossments.

Stiffness of a Hermès Handbag

A genuine Hermès handbag stands on its own. If the bag appears "flimsy," your alarm bells should ring. However, this can also be caused by poor storage. Especially models made of very soft Togo leather do not have the same "stiffness" as those made of, for example, "Box Calf, Epsom, or Vache Liégée leather.

Original Hermès Handbag:

Fake Hermès Handbag:

Stitching of Hermès Handbags

Birkin and Kelly Bags are hand-stitched by real people, so the stitching may not always be perfectly even, unlike machine-made seams. Most fakes, however, are machine-made, making every stitch appear uniform.

Stitching of an original Hermès Handbag:

Stitching of a fake Hermès Handbag:

The interior of a Hermès Handbag, here exemplified by a Birkin Bag

The inside of the bag is lined with smooth leather that matches the exterior. The lining must be firmly stitched and should not ripple or sag. The interior pockets should be made of suede.

Hermès Logo Stamp, Made in Label

The color of the Hermès logo should exactly match the color of the hardware (metal parts). If the "Hermès Paris - Made in France" lettering is faded, crooked, or coming off, this is a significant indicator of a fake.

Hermès Made in Label of an authentic Birkin Bag:

Hermès Made in Label of a fake Birkin Bag:

Hermès Hardware

The Hermès lettering should always be engraved with razor-sharp precision. With fakes, you often see inferior engravings on the zipper pull, and the lock is also often an indicator of counterfeits.

Hermès Paris lettering of an original Hermès Birkin Bag:

Hermès Paris lettering of a fake Hermès Birkin Bag:

Hermès Blind Stamp

Find out now: When was my Hermès bag made?

Simply select the letter and shape of the blind stamp and view the result.

Every Hermès handbag has a blind stamp, which is a stamped letter. From 1945 to 1970, no shape was used. From 1971 to 1996, the letter was printed in a circle. From 1997 until 2014, the letter was imprinted in a square. In the course of 2014, the square was again omitted, and since then, the letter is once again displayed without a shape. The most recently assigned codes are W (2024), K (2025), and G (2026) – each without a shape.

Blind stamp of an original Hermès Birkin Bag from 2018:

Blind stamp of a fake Hermès Birkin Bag from 2016:

Blind stamp of a fake Hermès Bag from 1993:

Blind stamp of an authentic Hermès Bag from 1995:

If you are unsure whether your Hermès handbag is authentic, or if you have further questions, feel free to contact us or order our Hermès authentication, or the digital Hermès authentication.