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#766
I have a question about correct creed format. I was watching this auction mainly to see what sort of action it would get and I had questions about the creed:

COACH CROSSBODY HANDBAG PURSE MADE IN COSTA RICA
Item: 111047223175
Seller: flower0523
http://www.ebay.com/itm/COACH-CROSSBODY-HANDBAG-PURSE-MADE-IN-COSTA-RICA-/111047223175

You can see it in the sixth picture down - F2P-9525. The fourth line of the F2P creed ends "COWHIDE." I found another F2P creed that ends "COWHIDE. THE", which led me to start looking for Costa Rica creeds from the first half of 2002 for all-leather bags. There is a mix - the majority had "COWHIDE. THE",and the periods at the end of the sentences were clearly delineated on those, where the "COWHIDE." creeds the last period was run into "LEATHER" at the end.

I know that different plants with the same plant code had different stamps, are these two versions of an authentic creed? Or is an indication that the bag is counterfeit?

Thanks in advance!
 

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#767
netlawyer said:
I have a question about correct creed format. I was watching this auction mainly to see what sort of action it would get and I had questions about the creed:

COACH CROSSBODY HANDBAG PURSE MADE IN COSTA RICA
Item: 111047223175
Seller: flower0523
http://www.ebay.com/itm/COACH-CROSSBODY-HANDBAG-PURSE-MADE-IN-COSTA-RICA-/111047223175

You can see it in the sixth picture down - F2P-9525. The fourth line of the F2P creed ends "COWHIDE." I found another F2P creed that ends "COWHIDE. THE", which led me to start looking for Costa Rica creeds from the first half of 2002 for all-leather bags. There is a mix - the majority had "COWHIDE. THE",and the periods at the end of the sentences were clearly delineated on those, where the "COWHIDE." creeds the last period was run into "LEATHER" at the end.

I know that different plants with the same plant code had different stamps, are these two versions of an authentic creed? Or is an indication that the bag is counterfeit?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Good observation. I think they are all authentic. The fonts are different on the two types as well. It looks like it is consistent by style. It looks like all the 9136 were stamped on a smaller pocket, which would have been similar to the patches used in lined purses. It could have been a different kind of stamp. Did you find any other stewardesses, 9525, that were different from other stewardesses? My stewardess creed looks just like those.
 
#768
whateve said:
Good observation. I think they are all authentic. The fonts are different on the two types as well. It looks like it is consistent by style. It looks like all the 9136 were stamped on a smaller pocket, which would have been similar to the patches used in lined purses. It could have been a different kind of stamp. Did you find any other stewardesses, 9525, that were different from other stewardesses? My stewardess creed looks just like those.
Click to expand...


I found this additional Stewardess from 2002. It also looks like the Stewardess got the "COWHIDE. THE" stamp in 2001 and I've attached a "COWHIDE." stamp from a different bag in 1993. So it looks as if Coach was transitioning creeds in 2002 and the Stewardess bags got the new stamp first?

Now I wish I'd jumped on that auction!
 

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#769
netlawyer said:
I found this additional Stewardess from 2002. It also looks like the Stewardess got the "COWHIDE. THE" stamp in 2001 and I've attached a "COWHIDE." stamp from a different bag in 1993. So it looks as if Coach was transitioning creeds in 2002 and the Stewardess bags got the new stamp first?

Now I wish I'd jumped on that auction!
Click to expand...
I think you're right. You could always message the seller and ask if they will do a buy it now.
 
#771
mermaidcms said:
Could this ebay item be authentic? It is supposed to be a City Bag, which was first sold in 1987. The Creed reads, Made in New York City. When did they stop using that?

URL: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-V...084?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item3f23f10e74

item #: 271185940084
Seller: ocnjgal
Click to expand...

Coach stopped using "Made in New York City" in 1988. Please check the Salearea Guides:

http://search.reviews.ebay.com/members/salearea_W0QQcpnameZmembersQQprZsaleareaQQuqtZg

Questions about individual bags should be asked at the Authenticate This Coach thread.
 
#772
whateve said:
I think you're right. You could always message the seller and ask if they will do a buy it now.
Click to expand...
Brilliant idea, Whateve! I hadn't thought to take another look at the auction and it turns out the seller relisted as BIN at the original auction price - I have been trying to rehab a NYC Stewardess that is fighting me every step of the way, now I'll have this one as a backup.
 
#773
#774
Since there was a discussion of overstamping on the Authenticate This! thread, I thought I would post some photos of authentic overstamping for reference.

http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-763164-593.html#post24401298

As I am starting to assemble my own reference library since I really would like to build some expertise, what is the best way to organize things. I have my creeds stored by "month/year/plant code" folders, I also have folder of fake creeds and I am starting to build a reference list of different style bags. Any lessons learned or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!
 

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#775
netlawyer said:
Since there was a discussion of overstamping on the Authenticate This! thread, I thought I would post some photos of authentic overstamping for reference.

http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-763164-593.html#post24401298

As I am starting to assemble my own reference library since I really would like to build some expertise, what is the best way to organize things. I have my creeds stored by "month/year/plant code" folders, I also have folder of fake creeds and I am starting to build a reference list of different style bags. Any lessons learned or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Wow, that is really organized. I have a spreadsheet of all the purses I own with their name, style number, production date and plant. When I authenticate, I usually use the purse in my possession rather than photos for comparison if I can. I have a folder of ad pictures in which each picture is named the style number and name so I can find it in a search. A tpf member started this reference list. http://coachbagrehab.blogspot.com/2012/05/coach-style-numbers-and-photos.html
 
#776
whateve said:
Wow, that is really organized. I have a spreadsheet of all the purses I own with their name, style number, production date and plant. When I authenticate, I usually use the purse in my possession rather than photos for comparison if I can. I have a folder of ad pictures in which each picture is named the style number and name so I can find it in a search. A tpf member started this reference list. http://coachbagrehab.blogspot.com/2012/05/coach-style-numbers-and-photos.html
Click to expand...
You must have TEH MAD SPREADSHEET SKILZ, Whateve. When I first started buying older Coach bags with the idea that I would rehab them and sell them, I set up a spreadsheet so I could keep track of what I had and what I had paid for it (and calculate eBay fees, etc.). It drove me insane - I can do spreadsheets but the little boxes aren't free form enough for me. Of course, I could never let go of the bags once I got them :hbeat: so I ended up with a collection, rather than an business.

I decided to start keeping the information in Evernote - so I have a "Coach Inventory" notebook, where I have photos of all of my bags and their creeds along with notes - I put in the measurements, style number, serial number (so it is searchable), if pre-1994 whether it is 3-4 or 4-3 format, and NYC/THE UNITED STATES/USA, and any trivia (so if Hyacinth says "this bag was introduced in 1987," I'll put that in). I also have a "Coach Reference" notebook, which is where I put the same type of stuff but mostly information from the Authenticate This! thread.

I found the reference list - it is fantastic. I was looking at City Bag Navy and White Spectator just today and was really nervous because I couldn't find any references to the style number on the bag and found the list and there it was: #9667 with a photo. I have an idea that I could create a list with linked photos, but I need to quit trolling eBay and cleaning bags long enough to do it. ;-)

I really appreciate all of the information you have shared and I have learned a lot from you. I hope to be able to help with the threads some day.
 
#779
netlawyer said:
Hi Hyacinth - did Coach use the NYC creed and the MADE IN THE UNITED STATES creed at the same time once MADE IN THE UNITED STATES was adopted in the late 80's?
Click to expand...

No, AFAIK the NYC statement was discontinued when the Made in USA or Made in the United States line was added. That happened when Coach added more plants in addition to the original NYC plant. Everything points to that happening in 1988 and maybe early 1989, and what I've seen in Coach's catalogs bears that out - I've cross-checked bags from the late 1980s where the dates of production are known from the catalogs and I'm pretty confident of the dates. So 1988 seems to be the dividing line. They may have grandfathered the old NYC stamp for a few months but with so few plants it wouldn't have taken long to replace the old outdated ones, unlike the 1994 creed and serial changes where it took some plants more than a year to get updated creed stamps.

I'm also basing those dates on this excellent history of Coach:
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/coach-inc-history/

"To keep up with growing demand for Coach products, the company doubled its workforce, leased additional space for factory operations, and expanded the work week to six days. Despite these measures, however, by the fall of 1987, Coach was again unable to meet all orders for its goods, and the company began to seek additional room for expansion. In addition, to better control the circumstances under which its products were sold, Coach slashed the number of department stores retailing its goods by 50 percent. Despite continued strong demand, the company did not increase its prices to keep pace with a sharp rise in the cost of leather. By the end of 1987, Coach had nearly doubled its revenues, despite its reduction of retailers and the increase in the price of leather.

In December 1987, Coach opened a new flagship store on Madison Avenue, in New York. The two-story store, with a marble and mahogany interior, featured an atrium and a gallery of leather art, as well as the full range of Coach products. The company expected to sell $5 million worth of handbags in the store's first year.

Coach solved its production problem by opening a plant near Miami, Florida, where its Lightweights collection was manufactured, in 1988..."

Also the Coach catalogs from 1987 and before specifically mention Coach's factory (singular) in NYC. Starting in 1988 the NYC factory is no longer mentioned, and in 1989 the catalogs now say "Each Coach bag and briefcase is made in our own factories in the United States..." So that seems to narrow down the date pretty accurately. (If you've found any other "guides" with different dates it's safe to ignore them).
 
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