Years of looking at dozens of LV styles and bags that have come and gone on to be vintage have made me pretty confident in identifying a fake from an authentic. I personally love the traditional date code, as it's a physical, tangible "mark" which reminds me via a quick glance of how old or what year I acquired the item. From now on, this will no longer exist, so I guess I will have to go thru stacks of receipts to remind me when my newer things became part of my collection. This date code was also a way I felt reassured when shopping on resale sites like FP. To think that if I buy a pre-loved item, then take it to the store to confirm it's authenticity...it isn't exactly convenient... it will be viewed as a nuisance, as I'm sure the sales associates won't be thrilled to be doing this !! They want to sell you the shiny new, $$$$ stuff, not do you a favor to reinforce your shopping habits on a reseller's secondary site !!!