Finding Louis

No matter what I'm really looking for in a thrift store, I always stroll past the purses and bags in case anything jumps out at me.

About a week ago, something really jumped. Could it be? An authentic Louis Vuitton wallet, just hanging there on the shelf for under $5? It was too good to be true.

But I didn't have time to think before someone else snatched it. I decided to sort out the details later.

Regardless of authenticity, this Louis V needed a scrub before it could be seen in public. So I got brave with a little Woolite and a nail brush and wasn't shy with the water. It paid off-much of the wear and tear washed away, leaving behind only a few work spots on the leather interior and trim. To speed the drying process, I put in some time with my trusty blow dryer.

Next it was time to figure out if this was the real deal. Here's my evidence of authenticity:
1. The pattern is even, with no "LV" logos cut off by edges of the wallet.
2. The interior leather is stamped, "Louis Vuitton, Paris, Made in France."
3. "Louis Vuitton" is stamped around the female side of each snap on the wallet.
4. Louis Vuitton is spelled right every time.
5. There's a code on the interior of the interior, where you would slip in your money. It's presumably a date stamp, which every authentic Louis V item has.

And the rebuttal:
I can't for the life of me match the aforementioned code with a Louis date stamp code.

In the end, I'm pretty excited about this piece, even though I can't prove its authenticity. Even if it's not real, the pattern is pretty recent and you can probably take this one out in public without anyone calling you out. You can take a look here if you're interested in snagging Louis for your own.

(But deep down inside, I hope this one is real.)

More photos after the jump.

♥