Hermès Blind Stamp Checker
Since 1945 Hermès has pressed a small “blind stamp” into its leather: a year letter, run through the alphabet in cycles. Plain letters ran 1945–1970, circled letters 1971–1996, squared letters 1997–2014, and from 2015 the letters are plain again — and no longer in alphabetical order. The letter alone is therefore not enough: the same plain A can mean 1945 or 2017, which is why this checker asks for the shape around the letter and shows every reading that fits when the shape is unknown.
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How to read it
Find the single stamped letter and look closely at what surrounds it. A circle or square selects one cycle exactly; a plain letter belongs to the first cycle or the modern one, roughly fifty years apart — hardware, lining and model settle which end you are at.
| Frame | Cycle |
|---|---|
| No frame | 1945 – 1970 (in order) or 2015 onward (not in order) |
| Circle | 1971 – 1996 |
| Square | 1997 – 2014 |
Where to find it on the item
Until 2014 the stamp usually sits near the strap or on the flap's underside; from 2015 Hermès moved it inside the bag, often on the interior wall. A stamp of several letters and digits is the full workshop/craftsman stamp — a different marking that does not carry the year letter's reading.
Year letter chart, all four cycles
| Letter | Plain (1945–70) | Circle (1971–96) | Square (1997–2014) | Plain (2015– ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1945 | 1971 | 1997 | 2017 |
| B | 1946 | 1972 | 1998 | 2023 |
| C | 1947 | 1973 | 1999 | 2018 |
| D | 1948 | 1974 | 2000 | 2019 |
| E | 1949 | 1975 | 2001 | — |
| F | 1950 | 1976 | 2002 | — |
| G | 1951 | 1977 | 2003 | 2026 |
| H | 1952 | 1978 | 2004 | — |
| I | 1953 | 1979 | 2005 | — |
| J | 1954 | 1980 | 2006 | — |
| K | 1955 | 1981 | 2007 | 2025 |
| L | 1956 | 1982 | 2008 | — |
| M | 1957 | 1983 | 2009 | — |
| N | 1958 | 1984 | 2010 | — |
| O | 1959 | 1985 | 2011 | — |
| P | 1960 | 1986 | 2012 | — |
| Q | 1961 | 1987 | 2013 | — |
| R | 1962 | 1988 | 2014 | 2014 |
| S | 1963 | 1989 | — | — |
| T | 1964 | 1990 | — | 2015 |
| U | 1965 | 1991 | — | 2022 |
| V | 1966 | 1992 | — | — |
| W | 1967 | 1993 | — | 2024 |
| X | 1968 | 1994 | — | 2016 |
| Y | 1969 | 1995 | — | 2020 |
| Z | 1970 | 1996 | — | 2021 |
Worked examples
Reading T in a circle
Circled letters are the 1971–1996 cycle: a circled T is 1990.
Reading A, no frame
A plain A is 1945 or 2017 — the stamp itself cannot separate them, so the checker shows both, and the bag's hardware and lining pick the right one at a glance.
Reading H in a square
Squared letters are 1997–2014: a squared H is 2004.
Hermès serial number questions
What do the circle and square around the letter mean?
They name the cycle. Hermès has run the alphabet four times: plain 1945–1970, circled 1971–1996, squared 1997–2014, and plain again from 2015.
My stamp has no shape around it — which cycle is it?
Either vintage (1945–1970) or recent (2015 onward) — the two plain runs overlap in letters, so the checker returns both readings and lets the bag itself (hardware, lining, model) settle it.
Why isn't the modern letter in alphabetical order?
After 2014 Hermès stopped running the letters in order, so a modern stamp reads from a lookup, not by counting along the alphabet — tools that still count are wrong for anything after 2014.
Does a correct blind stamp prove the bag is genuine?
No — counterfeiters reproduce blind stamps. Leather grain, stitch angle and tension, hardware weight and the tooling of the stamp itself settle authenticity.
What are the other letters and numbers next to it?
The craftsman/workshop stamp — it identifies who made the bag, not when. The checker recognises that format and says so rather than misreading it as a year.
Does the stamp year move the bag's value?
For Hermès, meaningfully — certain years and leathers carry premiums, and the year must agree with the bag's construction. The live Hermès pieces below show current UAE asking prices.