How to Date a Barbour Jacket, Tell if It's Fake and What It's Worth (2026)

To date a Barbour jacket, count the royal warrant crests on the label inside the collar. Barbour received its warrants in 1974, 1982 and 1987, so one crest suggests about 1974 to 1981, two about 1982 to 1986 and three 1987 to about 2021. Then check the model: the Bedale dates from 1980 and the Beaufort from 1983. On November 3, 2026, Barbour listed a new Classic Beaufort at £319 (about $428) and its own reworked second-hand jackets at £249 to £299.

This guide is for someone holding a waxed jacket with a tartan lining, at a flea market or out of a wardrobe. It covers the age, the fake check and the value, in that order.

At a glance: dating clues and prices

What you see	What it tells you	Source and date
No warrant crest on an old wax label	Possibly before 1974	Barbour history: first warrant April 1, 1974
One crest (Duke of Edinburgh)	About 1974 to 1981	Barbour history
Two crests (plus the Queen)	About 1982 to 1986	Barbour history: second warrant January 1, 1982
Three crests (plus the Prince of Wales)	1987 to about 2021	Barbour history: third warrant January 1, 1987
The King’s warrant	May 2024 or later	Barbour history
Model name Bedale	1980 or later	Barbour history
Model name Beaufort	1983 or later	Barbour history
Model name Beadnell	2010 or later	Barbour Re-loved Beadnell product page
New Classic Beaufort	£319 retail (about $428)	barbour.com, Nov 3, 2026
Re-loved (reworked, second-hand)	£249 Beadnell, £299 Beaufort (about $334 and $401)	barbour.com, Nov 3, 2026; both sold out

Dollar figures are converted at the ECB reference rates of November 2, 2026 (£1 = about $1.34). The crest ranges are our reading of Barbour’s warrant dates, not a Barbour label chart.

How to date a Barbour jacket, step by step

1. Find the main label. It sits inside the collar or on the inner chest. Older wax jackets carry the warrant crests above the Barbour name.
2. Count the crests. Barbour’s own history gives the dates: a warrant from the Duke of Edinburgh in 1974, from the Queen in 1982 and from the Prince of Wales in 1987. Barbour held the first until the Duke died in 2021, the second until the Queen died in 2022, and the third until the Prince became King in 2023. In May 2024 it received a new warrant from the King.
3. Read the model name. The model can’t be older than its launch: the International motorcycle suit in 1936, the Bedale in 1980, the Beaufort in 1983, the Liddesdale quilted jacket in 1994 and the Beadnell in 2010. A “1970s Beaufort” is a contradiction.
4. Check where it was made. Barbour makes its wax jackets by hand in South Shields and moved into its Simonside factory there in 1981. Look for the “Made in” line on the label and the care label.
5. Look at the care label and size label. A long, multi-language care label with codes and a barcode belongs to a recent jacket. Barbour publishes no guide to its label codes, so treat dating tips based on them as unconfirmed.
6. Put the clues together. If the crests, the model and the labels all point to the same years, you have a reasonable range. If they disagree, the label may have been replaced, or the jacket is not what it seems.

Two limits. Labels didn’t change on the day a warrant was granted, because old label stock was used up first. And the crest count only helps with older jackets: from 2021 the warrants changed several times in three years. Reading every label against a known era is also the core check for fake football shirts and for telling if Ralph Lauren is real.

How to tell if a Barbour jacket is fake

Barbour’s counterfeit education page is about fake websites, not fake jackets. It has a tool to check a shop’s web address and a form to report a suspicious site. Most fake shops use “Barbour” in their address, so check any site you don’t know before paying.

For the jacket itself, there is no official checklist. The UK Intellectual Property Office’s guide to spotting fake fashion, made with Vinted, gives the method that works here: compare the item with photos of a verified original from the brand or a trusted seller. For a Barbour, compare:

1. The model. Search the model name on Barbour’s own site or in old catalogues. A fake can carry a name Barbour never used, or a cut the real model never had.
2. The label against the era. A jacket sold as 1980s should have the crests and label style of that decade. Three crests on a jacket that claims to be from 1978 don’t fit.
3. The fabric. Barbour lists the outer of its wax jackets as 100% waxed cotton. A coating that looks and feels like plastic or vinyl doesn’t fit.
4. The hardware and lining. Check the zips, studs and the tartan lining against your verified example: the brand names, the pattern and how cleanly they are finished.
5. The price and the seller. A new-looking jacket at a fraction of the £319 retail price, from a seller with many identical jackets, is the classic sign of fakes.

If several checks disagree, walk away. On Vinted, counterfeits are banned, and a “not sure if authentic” note doesn’t make a listing acceptable. Pay through the app’s checkout so buyer protection covers you.

What is a vintage Barbour worth?

There is no public record of what used Barbours sell for, so we don’t print a “value” number from listings. What we can source are Barbour’s own prices on November 3, 2026:

• A new Classic Beaufort waxed jacket: £319 (about $428).
• Barbour Re-loved jackets, old jackets restored and patched at the South Shields factory and sold as one-offs: a Beadnell at £249 and a Beaufort at £299 (about $334 and $401). Both were sold out.
• Trade-in: during promotional periods Barbour gives a £50 voucher (about $67) towards a new wax jacket for an old one. It is a voucher, not cash.

A private sale of a worn jacket usually fetches less than a restored Re-loved piece. What moves the price:

• Model and size. Classic names like the Beaufort, Bedale and International are the most searched.
• Age. Older jackets with one or two crests interest collectors, as long as the condition is good.
• Condition. Tears, broken zips, a missing hood, a musty smell and dry, cracked wax all lower the price. See how to judge condition before you choose a grade.
• Wax. A jacket re-waxed recently looks better in photos. Barbour re-waxes its own wax jackets, with the price shown when you order and a turnaround of 10 days; a jacket that needs repair can’t be re-waxed only.

To find your own range, search your model and size in sold listings on eBay or Vinted, and compare only jackets in the same condition. Our guide to where to sell vintage clothes covers the main marketplaces, and the lowest fees for selling clothes shows what each one keeps.

Selling a Barbour: what to photograph

1. The main label with the crests, in sharp focus.
2. The care label and any size or “Made in” label.
3. The whole jacket, front and back, in daylight.
4. The wear points: cuffs, collar, pocket edges, the hem and the zip.
5. The lining, and any repair or patch.

Name the model, the size, the number of crests and an honest condition in the title and description. If you have re-waxed it yourself, say so.

Quick checklist

1. Count the crests and note the range.
2. Check the model’s launch year.
3. Read the labels and look for contradictions.
4. Compare with a verified example before calling it genuine.
5. Check the price against Barbour’s own £319 retail and £249 to £299 Re-loved prices.

The same habit of reading every label works on denim too: see how to date Levi’s jeans. For the other British classic, see how to date and check a vintage Burberry trench. More guides are on the Vintage Snap guides hub.