I have an A-SS brocade with buckle that has no tag and no date. It is 100 percent authentic. It's nice if those features are present, but they are not always there. To a degree, the.belts are adjustable by placement of the buckle. As previously stated, I would be more concerned about the presence or absence of the protective pad attached to one of of the loops. According to perhaps the most imminent authority on these things, if the pad is not there, the belt is a reproduction. I don't know whether that applies only to A-SS examples, or all examples.