I have some cheap steel mags that have no date on them and never has had one. I traded for a couple pmags a while back that had been painted then sanded so that the relieved portion of the mag was a different color than the body. They look cool but I can not read the date at all. I can see where it is supposed to be but it is disfigured to the point where I cant certifiably prove what it says. I guess that it doesn't matter that much, I am moving in a year to someplace a little more gun friendly.