answers to AUTHENTICITY questions!!!

[nurserachet]

HI, newbie here.
My adult daughter really wants a red patent Zoe, medium size. I'm not familiar with Coach knockoffs but have been researching your site and all it's great info.
Is there any one/two thing that I should be aware of so I can present only a couple of links to auctions for your expert review? I've been on ebay quite a while and know some of the basics about knockoffs, but they keep getting better and better, sadly.
Also, why is it that a "NEW" bag, even with tags, will have no sleeper/dust bag? Just wondering.
thanks so much for your time and efforts to assist we who want to learn about the real thing and not promote knockoffs and rippoffs.
Best to you all.

 

[BeenBurned]

HI, newbie here.
My adult daughter really wants a red patent Zoe, medium size. I'm not familiar with Coach knockoffs but have been researching your site and all it's great info.
Is there any one/two thing that I should be aware of so I can present only a couple of links to auctions for your expert review? I've been on ebay quite a while and know some of the basics about knockoffs, but they keep getting better and better, sadly.
Also, why is it that a "NEW" bag, even with tags, will have no sleeper/dust bag? Just wondering.
thanks so much for your time and efforts to assist we who want to learn about the real thing and not promote knockoffs and rippoffs.
Best to you all.

1. There's really no "always/never" rules with Coach. Every rule has exceptions.

2. Post any listings you might be interested in on the "Authenticate this Coach" thread. Please use the format requested in the first post of the thread as it's helpful in future searches for seller IDs and listings.
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-577470-new-post.html

3. There are several reasons why NWT bags don't have dustbags. Sometimes bags get lost, misplaced or even stolen from department store bags and if the SA doesn't realize it, the bag goes home with the buyer sans dust bag.

Or, as has happened to me, I've bought bags at Macy's and before purchasing noticed that the dustbag was missing. The SA simply took a dustbag from another purse. Eventually, someone will get that bag without its dustbag.

MFF bags don't come with dust bags.

And although bags might be at the outlets that originally came from full-priced Coach stores, sometimes either the dustbag is missing or in some outlets, they remove dustbags from boutique transfers.

 

[nurserachet]

Thanks so much for the info! Will work on selecting a couple to have reviewed and plan to follow the suggested format. Again, thanks.

 

[BeenBurned]

Thanks so much for the info! Will work on selecting a couple to have reviewed and plan to follow the suggested format. Again, thanks.

You're welcome.

And by the way, welcome!!

 

[Hyacinth]

Frequently-used Fake Coach Serial Numbers, updated

Please remember, this list is an introduction, NOT an all-inclusive list. There are thousands of fakes that won't have any of those numbers, and many fakes, especially newer ones, can have accurate serial numbers. Also remember that no one can say if a bag is genuine just from the serial number! Clear close-up photos of the inside and outside are always needed.


COACHES WITH THESE 6-DIGIT NUMBERS ARE ALWAYS FAKE
NT-4903
NT-4908
NT-4115
NT-4157
NT-9992
DK-8674
TF-6823
TN-4136
TN-4186
TN-9085
TN-9096
TN-9927
TN-9951
4C-8624
4C-9911
40-8624
7H-7456
KE-6042
JH-9080

ANY Coach bag with only two letters or one number and one letter to the left of the hyphen can be assumed to be fake.

501-20 + all similar numbers starting with 101-, 202-, 501-, 701-, or any other group of 3 numbers with a zero in the middle, followed by 2 or 3 numbers after the dash and usually with a patch that says "made in Korea" - FAKE.
Coach NEVER made bags in Korea and never used serial numbers with only 5 or 6 digits like this:
"xxx-xx" or "xxx-xxx" and without the abbreviated "No." in front of the numbers. Except for a few items with 6-digit serial numbers made and marked for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Coach never used serial numbers with 6 digits or less.

Coach never made 'classic' leather bags with matching sewn-on cell phone holders.


These numbers on PURSES are always fake:

H4B-0516

H4B-0678

H4B-0517

H4B-0520

H4B-0532

HRB-0516

Probably ANY HANDBAG serial number beginning with H4B followed by a style # beginning with 05xx is probably fake (bags with style numbers beginning with 98xx or 99xx are usually genuine). The H4B-05xx sequence belonged to travel and business bags and briefcases.

012-3445

A2G-6094 and A2J-6094 - or ANY bag ending in 6094 - Fake if it's NOT a Signature Demi Bag, and there are fakes of that style too.

A5B-3906 - fake Sonoma Double Zip Bags

J4D-4133 - Fake if it's NOT a Waverly Bag

L4C-9941 or LAC-9941

M4N-4154 - possibly fake
Anything starting with M4N is suspect and should be authenticated by an expert.

0444-317, 0444-316 AND 0444-315 and possibly others beginning with 0444 - some "classic" fakes are showing up with these numbers and have a number of mistakes in the creed stamps and on the bags themselves. Assume they're all fake.

00138 - always fake, with or without any numbers or letters in front of it

308-9875

308-9937 - probably fake

233-5678 - probably fake

DEJ-9816 and ECC-9816 - fake prefix and incorrect suffix, 9816 belongs to a "classic" Duffle Sac. These numbers are ALWAYS fake.

G7D-8188 - has shown up on several recent fakes

There are some ending in -9927 but aren't Willis Bags, and -5130 sometimes shows up on bags that aren't Station Bags.

There are fake Signature Stripe Denim Totes and Signature Stripe Denim Satchels using fake serial numbers ending in 11192 and 11190. All these bags are counterfeit. Coach didn't use these numbers in any of their bags.

Any recent (made later than 2004) or current model bag with a serial prefix of M3U- is fake. A genuine bag with this number would have been made in 2003.

Any bag with a style number of -6047 that isn't a fabric Signature Satchel

The counterfeiters also use many legitimate-looking serial numbers but on the wrong style bags or accessories, like:
-5659 which should only be on a Scribble Tote,
-6094 which should only be on a small Signature Demi, and
-1417 which should only be on an East-West Leather duffle. These three numbers are special favorites with counterfeiters and have appeared on thousands of fakes.

Accessories with style #-5077 are fake, that number belongs to an Optic Bee Tote.

Bags beginning with K3H-, J8H-, and M4B- prefixes are possible counterfeits especially if the font of the digits of the serial number seems slightly different. Please have them looked at by an expert - NOT a Coach store employee, many of whom may be Coach lovers but who have NO training in recognising fakes, especially older ones.


Fake numbers L4C-9941 and LAC-9941 and possibly other combinations ending in 9941 have shown up on a variety of classic-looking leather bags, most with badly wrinkled "stretch-marked" leather and a "Coach" imprint somewhere on the front of the bag, usually off-center. They'll sometimes have cell phone holders sewn on the side of the bag. Coach NEVER sewed cell phone holders on the outside of its classic leather bags.

GAC- and GAG- prefixes have also turned up lately. ANY bag with just three LETTERS to the left of the dash is fake. Be careful not to mistake a Zero in the center position for the letter O though, all bags made in 2000 will have a zero in the center.

P7B-4907 - we've seen several Coaches with this serial number. Not only are the bags NOT Sonoma Small Bucket Zips, but the first digit "P" is completely wrong and would never be used on ANY Coach. Any bag with this serial number is counterfeit.

Fakes are also showing up with the # J4N-4082 which belongs ONLY to a Soho Bag from 1994.

Any bag with a serial # ending in -9956 needs to be looked at by someone very familiar with Coach, every one we've seen so far has been either an obvious or possible fake.

Any 'classic' leather bags with the # 0444-31(X) and heavy vertical lines both above and below the numbers is fake. 0212-578 and 1212-578 with and without the same fake "Overstamping" lines have also recently shown up

More fake 'classic' leather Coaches are showing up with bad creeds and the bogus "overstamping lines" above and below the serial numbers. The latest one is a fake light blue tote (always be careful with older bags in unusual colors, Coach's classic leather colors were pretty conservative so anything besides the usual black, brown, navy, mahogany, British Tan, dark green etc should be examined closely).

Any bag (especially any in the Hippie Flap style) with a serial number of H6S-9135 should be referred to the posters at Ebay or tPF for authentication. The style number belongs only to a Leather Hippie Flap bag but the ones we've seen with this number are either the wrong fabric or have invalid code digits and badly-stamped creeds.

Also look VERY carefully at classic bags beginning with " H6M- " and with "Made in the United States" at the bottom of the creed, quite a few fakes seem to use this prefix.

And a lot of newer style Coaches are showing up with only a 5-digit number after the "No", either on the same line as the last words of the creed or by itself at the bottom of the patch - number 00138 is the most common. All these are fake. Coach serial numbers will never have only five digits.

Serial numbers beginning with the letters N thru Z are not valid Coach numbers and are almost always fake, please have these bags looked at.

Coaches with serial numbers starting with D8J- especially older bags need to be looked at carefully since several fakes have been spotted with this combination.


Any bag with a tag or patch that says "Sports Coach or SportsCoach" is NOT a genuine Coach

Please remember, just because a Coach item seems to have the right style number, or looks just like the picture from Coach's website, that doesn't mean it's genuine. And just because you haven't seen a certain style before (or you don't like the way it looks) doesn't mean it's fake.

 

[BeenBurned]

I'd like to add a few more commonly seen serial numbers that are on fakes. These are numbers that are legitimate on an authentic bag but they're also on fakes.

J3J-6818 - Should be a Soho mini sig flap bag. I've seen the number on fake flap bags but also on several other styles that are NOT 6818. (In fact, ATM there are 29 current listings for 6818 and 3 of them are fake.)

B3K-7022 - It should be a denim signature pouch with red stripes center front, but the authentic version is rarely seen.

MIK-6047 - This serial number (with an invalid prefix) is commonly seen on a variety of different style fakes.

And one more bag to be very careful if purchasing is style 10341 which is a legacy signature satchel. There are some scary "good" fakes and unless a side-by-side comparison is done, the mistakes are nearly impossible to catch. These fakes have correct serial numbers for the style. Be sure to ask questions about any listing of this style.

 

[Hyacinth]

Thanks, BB!

 

[BeenBurned]

Thanks, BB!

You're welcome!

 

[Hyacinth]

So far I've seen six or eight of these. The bags have the correct style number but the serial number prefixes are wrong and use invalid codes. The fakes also have a big problem with the design of the front turnlock pocket that I won't go into in a public forum but anyone who's owned one will spot the difference.

The 2 I've just found have the serial number T6F-9980 or possibly T6E-9980. "T" is never a valid month code, and "F" is also a phony plant code. Here are pics of a black one, the brown one will be next:

 

[Hyacinth]

So far I've seen six or eight of these. The bags have the correct style number but the serial number prefixes are wrong and use invalid codes. The fakes also have a big problem with the design of the front turnlock pocket that I won't go into in a public forum but anyone who's owned one will spot the difference.

The 2 I've just found have the serial number T6F-9980 or possibly T6E-9980. "T" is never a valid month code, and "F" is also a phony plant code. Here are pics of a black one, the brown one will be next:

And here's the same fake in brown:

 

[PickyCoachLover]

I was reading this thread tonight, from the beginning. I noticed that "back in the day" one of you said that sellers rarely make fake all leather bags. Would you consider there to be an increase in the all leather bag fakes now, or are we as safe as we use to be?

Also, with all the patent that has come out in recent years, it is scary to think of those fakes. Fake patent, IMO is more difficult to distinguish than say...fake regular leather (and Coach has the BEST real leather! SO Soft!).
Thoughts?

 

[BeenBurned]

I was reading this thread tonight, from the beginning. I noticed that "back in the day" one of you said that sellers rarely make fake all leather bags. Would you consider there to be an increase in the all leather bag fakes now, or are we as safe as we use to be?

Also, with all the patent that has come out in recent years, it is scary to think of those fakes. Fake patent, IMO is more difficult to distinguish than say...fake regular leather (and Coach has the BEST real leather! SO Soft!).
Thoughts?

IMO, patent leather is difficult to photograph (even if the bag is authentic) but generally, it's not the leather that's the giveaway whether a bag is fake or not. It's a combination of the smaller details such as stitching, fonts, hardware, strap construction, feet, etc.

Unless a buyer is familiar with a seller's reputation and the bag in question, it's always safest to ask questions before bidding and buying.

 

[Hyacinth]

I was reading this thread tonight, from the beginning. I noticed that "back in the day" one of you said that sellers rarely make fake all leather bags. Would you consider there to be an increase in the all leather bag fakes now, or are we as safe as we use to be?

Also, with all the patent that has come out in recent years, it is scary to think of those fakes. Fake patent, IMO is more difficult to distinguish than say...fake regular leather (and Coach has the BEST real leather! SO Soft!).
Thoughts?

And the more we look, the more fake all-leather bags we find. Not just the newer styles, but a lot of classic styles are found to be fakes as we find out more details that raise red flags. Most of the classic fakes seem to be from around the same time as the genuine ones, but we've seen plenty of them with details that seem to be taken from newer bags so it wouldn't surprise me if older style leather fakes are still being pumped out of some clandestine factories just about anywhere around the globe.

 

[i<3handbags]

Copying and pasting a question that I had from the Authenticate This thread. I don't believe it got answered (unless I missed it).

Originally Posted by BerryWriter Item: Coach Chocolate Brown Court Bag
Listing:260630932679
Seller:clotheshorsegal
Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I'd just like to add a comment to DemRam's suggestion of requesting that the seller double-check the serial number.

I wouldn't mention to the seller why you're asking her to double check the serial number.

Although I have no idea whether this bag is authentic or not, I've seen too many instances where sellers find out that a bag is fake and either remove the serial number from the listing or don't include pictures of it.

It might also be helpful to request a clear macro shot of the creed.

EDITED TO ADD:
Please check out Hyacinth's post: http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-sh...enticity-questions-94198-24.html#post11763206

Specifically, scroll about 1/2 way down the post to:

M4N-4154
Anything starting with M4N is suspect.

Just an observation/question, but aren't the stretchmarks (I apologize if that's the wrong term) also an indication of a fake? I am referring to the large patch on the back of the bag.

 

[Hyacinth]

Copying and pasting a question that I had from the Authenticate This thread. I don't believe it got answered (unless I missed it).

The stretch marks on that brown bag are in an area where the leather is constantly being bent when the flap is opened so they aren't 100 percent proof that the bag is fake, although they're a lot bigger and more obvious than they would normally be. The stretch marks are suspicious but the serial number given in the listing is absolute proof. And for some odd reason, someone ASQ'd the seller asking if the strap was adjustable and the seller said it was. Doesn't look very adjustable to me.

Here are the "stretch marks" we're talking about: