Actually, that is my spectator city bag pictured in that list. :shame: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 themso 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.
answers to AUTHENTICITY questions!!!
- Thread starter kallison
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It's here, and the bag is genuine.
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-763164.html
It's gorgeous! I went for it and the listing included a matching Spectator Chunky Case, so I am really psyched to get it.
(Is that your Emmy too? I saw what I assume is your Chauncy and I noticed they are all photographed on the washing machine...
)Yes, a lot of those bags are mine. I need to find a more scenic backdrop...my house is not the greatest for taking photos!It's gorgeous! I went for it and the listing included a matching Spectator Chunky Case, so I am really psyched to get it.
(Is that your Emmy too? I saw what I assume is your Chauncy and I noticed they are all photographed on the washing machine...
I saw that listing. I think I posted it in the deals thread. I am jealous of the chunky case. My spectator city bag is one of my favorites. I'm really surprised they aren't more popular on ebay.
Well, hi! I only recently joined TPF, although Ive been reading it for a long time. Ive been on eBay since the start, too, but I dont sell there anymore.
I started collecting Coach info ages ago, and Ive just been using Word. It isnt the best system, since the photos cant be easily shared, but the files are just for my info anyway (and most of the photos are NOT mine to start with, so theyre not mine to share) so it works for me.
I have separate Word folders for the 0500s, 1000s, 2000s, etc., thru the 9000s. I dont really follow the styles after that, but I do have a smaller folder with some of the 10000s & up just a very, very few.
You can pretty much track my level of interest in various styles & eras by how many individual files are in each folder. In the 2000s, for instance, I have only 8; in the 4000s, there are 177, and in the 9000s, 488. Not counting the 10000s and up, I have about 1100 individual style files. (I have Cashin files, too, but theyre not included in this.)
Each style has its own files, and the individual pages are all set up the same way: style number, name, description (including measurements,) and as many photos as I can gather. I also include photos of creed patches, in chronological order, for each plant and each year the style was made.
Apart from the style files, I have separate files for individual plants, too, showing examples from the years the plants were producing, and a (very helpful) list by plant code of the years & locations for which Ive found examples.
What began as a bit of a hobby turned into more of an obsession, but it really does help to be able to quickly reference what a particular bag should look like & when/where it was most likely to have been made. (I am a writer & researcher by trade, so Im rather used to going overboard & not being able to let go of a topic once I get started. It's also a great time-killer for moments of writer's block.)
Anyway, thats how MY system works, but it definitely has flaws. One of these days, Im going to have to cross-reference everything, because Im getting a little too old to rely on my memory (as in Oh, wasnt that a 4400-something bag? Or, Wait a second was that a 9400-something?) which means a bit too much scrolling down the lists. The file titles all have the style number, name & often a very BRIEF description (like tab-over button) & a date, if pre-1994, to spur the faulty memory, but it would still be nice to have them cross referenced. One of these days
Just thought I'd let you know how I do it!
First of all, you're in the wrong thread. You need to go to the AUTHENTICATE THIS COACH thread. This thread isn't for asking questions about individual bags or listings, it's only for general information on fakes.
Click on this link:
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-763164.html
And second, you don't need to START a thread. All you need to do is click the Post Reply button. You don't start a new thread, you just add your post to the one that's already open.
Read the very first post in the thread for instructions on how the request needs to be posted, use the Search to make sure your question hasn't already been answered, then go to the last most current page and use the Post Reply button to ask your question.
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Here are a couple of additions for your Overstamping file - all fakes. This is why accurate overstamping lines don't prove a bag is genuine.
Attachments
Thanks, this is great. There is so much information to collect, you've got an amazing system.
Oh noes!!! SCRTCHES!!! Thank you so much for sharing, Hyacinth - not only photos but your time and knowledge. (And for being so patient with me)
Hello,
I haven't found this mentioned in any other posts, but apologies if I've missed something!
I've read here and on the Salearea guides about the different types of zippers Coach has used over the years. For vintage Coach bags, it seems like they generally used Talon zippers. But does anyone know if/when the company used Falcon zippers?
I ask because I recently purchased a vintage Stewardess bag off eBay - after having it authenticated here first, of course! It only has one zipper (in the interior), and the back of the zipper reads "Falcon USA."
I'd be happy to post pictures of the bag and or the zipper, if I can get a good shot of it it.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge here! I know it's been said before, but these forums really are addicting!
Thanks in advance!
I haven't found this mentioned in any other posts, but apologies if I've missed something!
I've read here and on the Salearea guides about the different types of zippers Coach has used over the years. For vintage Coach bags, it seems like they generally used Talon zippers. But does anyone know if/when the company used Falcon zippers?
I ask because I recently purchased a vintage Stewardess bag off eBay - after having it authenticated here first, of course! It only has one zipper (in the interior), and the back of the zipper reads "Falcon USA."
I'd be happy to post pictures of the bag and or the zipper, if I can get a good shot of it it.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge here! I know it's been said before, but these forums really are addicting!
Thanks in advance!
Since it's almost impossible to date vintage bags accurately to within a year or two, it's also hard to give dates for zippers. My guess - and it's JUST a guess - would be that they would have been used on bags at least 20 years old or more, probably mainly with the NYC bags.
Fascinating - thanks for sharing this info, Hyacinth! You estimated that the Stewardess I got was probably from the mid-1980s, so that would make sense in terms of dates.
I was curious because I've only found a few references to Coach bags with Falcon zippers (one from eBay: http://www.ebay.com/gds/coach-buying-guide-for-newbies/10000000009867660/g.html; and one from a Goodwill store: http://ourgoodwillstore.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/how-to-authenticate-coach-bags/). I wasn't sure how reliable either is, so I wanted to run it by the experts here!
Thanks again.