Dior Date Code Checker
Dior has stamped date codes since the late 1990s. The older layout is two factory letters plus four digits — read interleaved, exactly like a 1990s Louis Vuitton code. The modern LVMH-era layout looks like 02-BO-0189: two digits, two letters, four digits, with the last four carrying the date on the Louis Vuitton structure.
Enter the code below; the checker recognises both layouts and returns the month or week and year the digits encode.
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How to read it
In the late-1990s format the digits interleave: positions one and three give the month, positions two and four give the year. In the modern format the same interlacing applies to the final four digits — month and year up to about 2006, week and year after.
| Layout | Shape | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Late 1990s | 2 letters + 4 digits (MA-0959) | digits 1 & 3 = month, digits 2 & 4 = year |
| Modern (LVMH era) | 00-XY-0000 (02-BO-0189) | last four digits on the Louis Vuitton structure: month/year to ~2006, week/year after |
Where to find it on the item
The code sits on the reverse of a small leather tab inside the bag; on the Lady Dior and larger styles it is just inside the opening. The heat stamp nearby should read “Christian Dior PARIS made in Italy” (or the matching country), with slightly rounded tag corners on genuine pieces.
Worked examples
Reading MA-0959
Late-1990s layout: digits 1 & 3 give 05 → May; digits 2 & 4 give 99 → 1999. May 1999, made at factory MA.
Reading 02-BO-0189
Modern layout: the last four digits 0189 read interleaved as 08 and 19 — the year 2019 puts this in the week era: week 8 of 2019.
Reading 05-MA-0035
Digits 0035 interleave to 03 and 05 — the year 2005 is in the month era: March 2005.
Dior serial number questions
Do all Dior bags carry a date code?
Codes begin in the late 1990s — genuine pieces made before then have none, and that absence is normal for the era.
Is the Dior code a serial number?
No — it identifies a factory and a production date, and many bags share the same code. Dior does not publish a per-item serial registry.
Does a correct code prove authenticity?
No. Counterfeiters copy well-formed codes. It rules out crude fakes only — leather, stitching, hardware and the heat stamp settle it.
Why does my modern code decode to a week, not a month?
Like Louis Vuitton, the modern structure switched from month/year to week/year around 2007 — the year the digits resolve to decides which reading applies.
Where is the code on a Lady Dior?
Just inside the opening, on the reverse of a small leather tab. On smaller styles it can sit deeper inside a pocket seam.
The date is earlier than the model existed — fake?
That mismatch is a genuine red flag. Cross-check the model's launch year and have the piece professionally authenticated before paying.
What should the heat stamp say?
“Christian Dior PARIS” with the country of make — crisp, evenly deep, on a tag with slightly rounded corners. A shallow or wobbly stamp is a warning regardless of the code.
Can the code tell me the bag's value?
Only the era. Value follows model, condition and demand — the live Dior listings below show real asking prices in the UAE.