Out of all the legacy fashion houses in the world, Louis Vuitton is one of the most recognizable. Sure, contemporaries like Chanel and Schiaparelli have their own distinct styles, but that brown and café au lait-colored monogram is synonymous with luxury bags. But it might surprise you that some of the most valuable vintage Louis Vuitton purses aren’t as far out of your price range as you might think.
5 Valuable Vintage Louis Vuitton Purses
While the most valuable pieces from Louis Vuitton’s catalog are extremely rare one-offs and 19th-century steamer trunks, these vintage LV purses are some of the company’s best-selling designs. From bags that were launched in the 1930s to recent vintages born as late as the noughties, these Louis Vuitton handbags are an investment worth hunting down.
| Valuable Vintage Louis Vuitton Purses | Recent Sales Prices |
|---|---|
| Monogram Mink and Black Alligator Le Fabuleux circa 2004 | $8,962.50 |
| Stephen Sprouse Alma Graffiti Bag circa 2009 | $5,250 |
| Mini Pleaty circa 2008 | $2,300 |
| Stephen Sprouse Graffiti Speedy 30 circa 2008 | $1,600 |
| Noé Bucket circa 1995 | ~$1,250 |
Le Fabuleux
One of Louis Vuitton’s most recent prolific periods was under the guidance of Marc Jacobs as their Artistic Director in the late-1990s. He innovated their handbag line and saw an opportunity to create something that would directly compete with Hermes’s legendary Birkin and Kelly bags. And so the Le Fabuleux bag was born.
Generally, Le Fabuleux bags are worth quite a bit since they’re on the higher end of LV’s luxury handbag line. One such rare Le Fabuleux from 2004, which sported monogram mink fur and black alligator skin, came to auction in 2010. Only five of these bags were released in the United States, and so naturally it sold for nearly $9,000.
Alma
The Alma is one of Louis Vuitton’s longest-running bag designs in the company’s history. Fashion legend has it that Coco Chanel commissioned Louis Vuitton for a custom bag. She eventually gave the company permission to sell the “Squire,” and so the commercially available renamed Alma was released in 1934. It was a hit throughout the 20th century and remains to be one of their most popular styles today.
This bag is recognizable for its sloping sides, top leather handle, and classic monogram. However, collaboration Almas are usually worth more than your average monogrammed ones. Take this early noughties Stephen Sprouse graffiti Alma collab. It recently sold for $5,250 at a Christie’s auction.
Related: 7 Vintage Coach Purses Worth Digging Out of Your Mom's Closet
Mini Pleaty
Nothing will bring you back to the mid-2000s quite as quickly as a Louis Vuitton Mini Pleaty shoulder bag. Another of Marc Jacobs’s ingenious ideas, this denim bag matched the vibe of the moment perfectly (Justin Timberlake and Brittany Spears’s all-denim red carpet outfits, anyone?). It was unrefined and slouchy enough for the celebs of the moment.
The Mini Pleaty is the quintessential bag shape from the mid-2000s and bears the iconic monogram printed onto a high-quality denim. As a versatile and more durable bag, this one frequently comes to auction. In fact, one recently sold for $2,300 on eBay.
Speedy
The Speedy (then named Express) debuted just a few years before the Alma in 1930. Originally released in a 30cm size, this bag captured busy city-goers’ hearts. You can pack all kinds of personal items, gear, and work paraphernalia into this large, monogrammed bag. But over time, people asked for less and less space, leading to several different size options you see today.
This vintage Louis Vuitton purse isn’t the most glamorous or cutesy of the bunch, but it serves a highly practical purpose that makes it still popular with their customers today. These flit in and out of auctions regularly and will hardly sell for less than a few hundred dollars. One 30cm collab bag with Stephen Sprouse from the early 2000s recently sold for $1,600 on eBay.
@sarahbelleelizabeth Lets talk vintage louis vuitton speedys that rock my world and that i want immediately if not sooner #louisvuitton #speedy #luxury Cena Engraçada e Inusitada de 3 Minutos - HarmonicoHCO
Because Speedy bags are made from one piece of leather, the monogram pattern will show up as upright on one side and upside down on the other.
Noé
Perhaps the vintage Louis Vuitton bag with the most interesting origin story is the Noé. Legend has it that Louis Vuitton’s son, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, designed this bag specifically to hold five bottles of Champagne. The reinforced bottom kept the bottles upright, and the drawstring closure gently held them in place. Released in 1932, these bags aren’t the lookers that some of Louis Vuitton’s more recent styles are.
Yet, they’re a great balance of function and form, which makes them a wealthy college student or business person’s go-to. Because of their less refined form and how many of them there are on the market, they’re not worth as much as other styles. Yet, one recently sold for around $1,250 on eBay which shows they can still pull in a good price tag.
Valuable Characteristics to Look for in Vintage Louis Vuitton Purses
Knowing that there are vintage Louis Vuitton purses worth hunting down and being able to spot them on command are two different things. Thankfully, we have a few tips to help you pick out the really good stuff from the overpriced knockoffs.
- Look for short-run collaboration bags. There are fewer bags made in collaborations like the Stephen Sprouse ones we already mentioned. Due to this, these tend to sell for much higher than the same standard style from the regular catalog.
- Check the product codes for bags from 1980 or later. Using the LV Product Code Authenticator, you can check on any more recent vintage bag you’re looking at to see if it's genuine. You don’t want to overpay for something you can’t verify.
- Go over the monogram with a fine-tooth comb. Check that any monogrammed bags have the proper interlocking LV and four-petal fleur-de-lys pattern.
- Assess the stitching for color and consistency. In the brown Louis Vuitton bags, you should find mustard-colored thread. And on all the bags, the stitches should be evenly spaced and the same size.
- Make sure there’s a Louis Vuitton stamp inside. Unlike some luxury bag brands, Louis Vuitton doesn’t dole out authenticity cards. Instead, they stitch leather cards that are stamped with Louis Vuitton and the country it’s produced in inside their bags since the 1980s.
These Vintage Purses Put the LV in Love
Luxury bags aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But if they fuel your fire, then these valuable vintage Louis Vuitton purses are the way to go. Whether you need an itty bitty Pleaty to carry your phone, wallet, and lip gloss or you want a versatile Speedy to toss all your schoolwork in, these LV bags will fit the bill.
