answers to AUTHENTICITY questions!!!

[Hyacinth]

Originally Posted by aggieyoda

I'm new to the forum, and I've found this thread enormously helpful to my newest obsession, so thanks, ladies! I just wanted to add to the above (though I realize y'all don't know me from Eve), that Coach currently has more than 26 distinct, active trademarks. You can search the USPTO database of trademarks at http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp; click "search marks" then try either the new user search, or click "free form search" and copy in this search phrase: "("Coach Services")[ON] and (018)[GS]". That's a search for trademarks owned by Coach in the class of goods including leather goods like purses, etc. Also, I just want to clarify that the point Hyacinth seems to be making above is in reference to the criminal act of selling counterfeit goods. However, contrary to the statement above that "[u]sing Os or Gs instead of Cs or calling a similar bag a Carly isn't illegal, nor is copying the style of a genuine bag," producing and/or selling so-called "knock-offs" without duplicating a trademark exactly may still be illegal trademark infringement, enforceable in civil court. A "Goach" bag could be considered "confusingly similar" in a court of law--that's why Coach has previously, and is currently, suing Target for trademark infringment. So there actually is a law against making/selling similar bags, too! Anyway, sorry if this information is available elsewhere--it just seemed a natural corollary to the information posted previously in this thread. Hope it's useful!

Aggieyoda, it's more than useful, it's FASCINATING! Thanks for the great link!

Interesting to see what names ARE trademarked - they let "Legacy" go dead for some unknown reason and let "Station Bag" lapse since the bag is at the end of production but names like Poppy, Coach Op Art, Scribble, Madison, Sonoma are all protected. Not Carly or Sabrina though. All the current graphic C styles are covered, and of course, ol' Reed has his name covered too.

BTW, the first link needs to be updated, I think the semicolon was included in the link:
http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp

then Search Marks, which takes you here:
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess&state=4009:mo8o38.1.1

and then the Search command you provided:
("Coach Services")[ON] and (018)[GS]

Great information!


Hyacinth

[terong]

ladies, is it possible for 2009 edition new Coach bags sold almost 40% from its price tag?
I'm curious because I don't live in US...how can lots of eBay stores sell almost all new edition Coach below its listing price

[Hyacinth]

Originally Posted by terong

ladies, is it possible for 2009 edition new Coach bags sold almost 40% from its price tag? I'm curious because I don't live in US...how can lots of eBay stores sell almost all new edition Coach below its listing price

Many of them are probably fakes. Please ask about the individual listings you're interested in at the Authenticate This Coach thread so any fakes can be reported to Ebay.

[dawnqueenb69]

Sorry to have to trouble everyone but how I tell when my bag was made my #'s are H0993-13420. t

[dawnqueenb69]

Sorry to have to trouble everyone, but how I tell when my bag was made my #'s are H0993-13420. It is the op art parker small hippie.... I just never under stood when the bags where made or what that letter was for ... TY

[Hyacinth]

Originally Posted by dawnqueenb69

Sorry to have to trouble everyone, but how I tell when my bag was made my #'s are H0993-13420. It is the op art parker small hippie.... I just never under stood when the bags where made or what that letter was for ... TY

My first post on page 18 of this thread explains how to deconstruct a serial number.

H is the month code for September (Coach doesn't use the letter "i" as a month code), 09 is the year code, and 93 is the factory code for the bag you have.

[Piggy Porky]

Hi, could anyone help with this question? I know that Coach bags come with Coach Care cards but do the Coach bags from Coach Factory outlets come with authenticity cards/registration cards? If they do...what is the proper name for this card? Thanks

[cz22]

Originally Posted by Piggy Porky

Hi, could anyone help with this question? I know that Coach bags come with Coach Care cards but do the Coach bags from Coach Factory outlets come with authenticity cards/registration cards? If they do...what is the proper name for this card? Thanks

Real Coach bags do not currently come with authenticity cards (only care cards, and sometimes those are missing if the bag is purchased at the outlet). Older bags (maybe up to early 2007) had registration cards - I don't know much about those... but you seemed eager for an answer. I hope that helps for now!

[Hyacinth]

Originally Posted by Piggy Porky

Hi, could anyone help with this question? I know that Coach bags come with Coach Care cards but do the Coach bags from Coach Factory outlets come with authenticity cards/registration cards? If they do...what is the proper name for this card? Thanks

I think late 2005 was the last time Coach put Registration cards in their bags, but some bags from that time might have been sent to the outlets for a year or two afterwards. AFAIK, Coach never called them "Authenticity cards". And there's really no such thing since a piece of paper can never prove a bag is authentic.

However, a LOT of fakes come with those cards. If you bought a bag with that card from the Outlet store yourself, it shouldn't be a problem. But if you bought one recently from a 3rd party, you may want to ask for an authenticity check at the Authenticate This thread. Post pics of the bag, the creed patch, and the cards or tags that came with the bag.

[Hyacinth]

Originally Posted by dawnqueenb69 Sorry to have to trouble everyone, but how I tell when my bag was made my #'s are H0993-13420. It is the op art parker small hippie.... I just never under stood when the bags where made or what that letter was for ... TY

Originally Posted by Hyacinth

My first post on page 18 of this thread explains how to deconstruct a serial number. H is the month code for September (Coach doesn't use the letter "i" as a month code), 09 is the year code, and 93 is the factory code for the bag you have.

Sorry, "H" is for August.

[Hyacinth]

THERE'S A NEW LINE OF FAKE COACH ERGOS IN THE STYLE OF THE LATE 1990'S LINE THAT ARE SHOWING UP ON EBAY.

The fakes have white topstitching and clearly-stamped Made In US creeds that look genuine. The bags also look remarkably brand-new for a 13-year old bag which means they're very recent fakes so I'm not going into a lot of detail as to why these are counterfeit. But serial numbers beginning with J6D- or D6J- on a 1990's-style leather Ergo should be considered fake.

Here are two examples:









ANY "ERGO" BEGINNING WITH PREFIX D6J-, J6D-, ETC and a style number starting with 90xx IS VERY LIKELY FAKE AND NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT IN A SEPARATE POST IN THE "AUTHENTICATE THIS COACH" THREAD!.

[Hoohoo3542]

I have a question regarding authentic shoes. In every pair of shoes I have seen Coach has always centered their logo, and they have always been the same placement on both shoes. I bid on a pair of signature flats the other week and posted them in the authenticate this thread and someone checked them out as okay. I received them this weekend and I am just not sure and would like to have a double take on them because the C's are not centered on the toe and the placement is not the same for both shoes. Does coach always have the same placement of C's for their signature shoes? Here is the link to the auction, I was unable to take pictures last night. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

[starrymaz]

Originally Posted by Hoohoo3542

I have a question regarding authentic shoes. In every pair of shoes I have seen Coach has always centered their logo, and they have always been the same placement on both shoes. I bid on a pair of signature flats the other week and posted them in the authenticate this thread and someone checked them out as okay. I received them this weekend and I am just not sure and would like to have a double take on them because the C's are not centered on the toe and the placement is not the same for both shoes. Does coach always have the same placement of C's for their signature shoes? Here is the link to the auction, I was unable to take pictures last night. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I think that's the way this style is supposed to be. Not every pair will have the same C placement. They look fine to me from the pictures, but you can post your own pictures of the shoes in the Authenticate this COACH thread if you'd like more people to take a look at them. Post pictures of the various sides of the shoe, the bottom of the shoes, the Coach logo on the insole, and the print on the inside of the shoe with the size and style name.

[Hoohoo3542]

Originally Posted by starrymaz

I think that's the way this style is supposed to be. Not every pair will have the same C placement. They look fine to me from the pictures, but you can post your own pictures of the shoes in the Authenticate this COACH thread if you'd like more people to take a look at them. Post pictures of the various sides of the shoe, the bottom of the shoes, the Coach logo on the insole, and the print on the inside of the shoe with the size and style name.

That is when I really started to question the shoes. There is no print on the inside of the shoes with the name and style number. I think I am going to take them to the Coach store tomorrow, I have a return to make anyways.

[starrymaz]

Originally Posted by Hoohoo3542

That is when I really started to question the shoes. There is no print on the inside of the shoes with the name and style number. I think I am going to take them to the Coach store tomorrow, I have a return to make anyways.

You should also post pictures in Authenticate This so that BeenBurned can take a look. She knows a lot about shoes.