Reading Hermès Date Stamps on Wallet Interiors
A practical guide to locating and interpreting Hermès blind stamps and year codes inside rare wallets for your inventory ledger.
Hermès date stamps on wallets appear in different locations depending on the model and production year. For ledger purposes, photograph the stamp before noting its letter-and-shape combination — ink fades when wallets are stored in humid closets.
Common Stamp Locations
On classic Bearn and Kelly wallets, look beneath the inner left flap or along the card-slot seam. Constance and Jige models often carry stamps on the inner back panel. So Black editions use white heat-stamping that requires raking light to photograph clearly.
Recording in Your Ledger
We recommend four fields: stamp shape, letter code, observed colour of impression, and photograph reference number. Do not attempt to translate the code into a calendar year from memory — Hermès revised its system several times between the 1940s and 2020s.
When Stamps Are Absent
Missing stamps do not automatically indicate a counterfeit. Refinishing, interior replacement, and certain special orders may lack standard markings. Note “stamp not located” and describe the interior construction instead.
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