the itty bitty square on GP hardware . . . .

[CobaltBlu]

This is a great thread on several levels.

I am having a great time imagining all of you squinting and digging through your belongings for magnifying apparati !!

I have a loupe right here but no gold hardware to look at...

 

[princessfrog]

I have a microscope linked to a PC which I think can take pics of the various logos.. but no gold stuff to look at

 

[mrssparkles]

^^ I love your work, princessfrog.

 

[Clopin]

I just got home and read this and pulled out my bags and camera. My camera wasn't good enough to get super detailed pictures, BUT to my naked eye I *think* that the etchings in the box are different on my Birkin and Kelly.
But then again, I'm also considered "legally blind", so maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Grands Fonds]

I just can't believe they could upt anything in this little box!

mine looks just like this, but I can't make out what the hell it is!!

 

[duna]

All of my birkins have something different. My 1996 one has an "S" on the top left and an "L" on the top right with a drawing that doesn't look like a horse but something like a watering can. My 2004 has the watering can-like drawing and no letters. My 2006 has what lookes like an "X" and "Y" upside down with two sides of the "X" in a box. They are all authentic.
What does this mean?

This is what I was thinking: I looked at my Birkin from 2003 with a jewelers magnifying glass and it looks to me like a water tap ! No letters...I'm going to check my other bags....

 

[friponne]

an interesting point has come up on the ebay finds thread, and i thought i's move the discussion over here to see what we can figure out.

so you know that tiny square in gold plated hardware? i identified an e-bay find as a fake because that litte square contained the letters GB over BB, and i had been told by one of our best authenticators that on genuine hermes it should contain a teeny, tiny horse. but the bag with the hardware i questioned is reliably said to have come from a boutique and seller is one of the good guys.

what's interesting is that the bag that i had been looking at when i was told about the horse ALSO had the letters GB over BB in the square, and both that bag and the one currently being looked at are mini (20cm) kellys. is it possible that the GP stamp on the mini hardware is different from other GP hardware? (ninja sue, are you out there? what's on your minis' gold hareware?)

Bumping - Can anybody help me with this issue please? I have a mini (PM) vintage Kelly Sport, with the letters GB over MM in the hallmark-square, but no image (horse or any) in it. Moreover it has NO datestamp at all! ( - so I cannot tell the age, but I guess it's from the 80s / early 90s?)
Otherwise everything about it feels thoroughly authentic, so I never questioned anything until I took close-up pics the other day. I bought it pre-owned from a reputable seller quite some while ago.
Is it okay if I post more pics, or against the rules? (as I might be selling it in the near future)
TIA!!!

 

[Katel]

I can't help you with your question, friponne, I'm sorry...but I do have a comment /Q and big favor:

1) wow! what a fabulous close up! what camera/lens did you use to capture the hallmark that clearly? nicely done.
2) Is there any way you could take a pic of any Kelly/Birkin hallmarks? It would be great to start a reference of hallmark picture/year/style bag.

gl with your question and thanks for the brill pic.

 

[friponne]

^ Thanks Katel! Well, it's a cranky old cheapo Nikon Coolpix L3 (5.1 mp - it's very erratic since I doused it in orange-juice, need to buy a new camera soon!) I used the macro setting with the max. optical zoom.

I took a pic of my Kelly Sport GM's (mid-1990s) hallmark for comparison, looks like it has letters and image (sun?)
The Kelly 2tour bracelet / K. watch has the same-size HW as the mini bags (only convex), but the engraving/hallmark is different. (I'll try to take pics). Alas, that's about all Kelly/Birkin-related things I have, my only 'regular' Kelly is 54 years old, pre-hallmark (and is off for refurbishment ATM) - the rest are mostly Trims (gosh they have diff. clips etc. too! ) but I'll "look" (zoom) at their hallmarks. (Drat I knew I should have bid on that H lupe the other day!!!)

 

[ardneish]

Amazing photo's friponne

I hope to have a jewelers glass arrive with me soon, so I will take a peek at mine

BTW

Have you looked everywhere on the kelly sport for the blindstamp, it took me weeks to find the tiny one on my croc constance

 

[Senbei]

I have a microscope in my lab that would be perfect for this! It's normally used to look at transistors. Unfortunately I don't have any gold hardware to look at.

friponne those pictures are pretty darn good for a point and shoot.

 

[misssA]

thanks for bumping this thread. I never realised that the content of the little box could be different. Here are mine and they are indeed different!

 

[oonagh113]

This thread is fascinating, but isn't it also slightly helpful to the makers of superfakes??

 

[Jadeite]

wow misssA, that magnification you've got there is incredible. how did you get it this close up?

 

[misssA]

thanks Jadeite

i used my macro lens and just magnified it on the computer.

i can't even tell (at this magnification) what the symbols are! is the middle one a swan or a tap? i hope some of the experts can help.