Authenticate This COACH - **see first post for format**

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#47,869
IMPORTANT READ-ME

Please post authenticity questions related to COACH in this thread. No PMs please.
For further information, please refer to the first post on page 1 of this thread.

Please follow the following requests:
  • Before you submit a request for authentication, please search this thread to make sure that the item has not previously been authenticated by searching the seller ID and/or item number. This is not a thread to ask general questions about COACH, please refer to our main Coach forum for such information.
  • Note that authenticators have the right to refuse any requests. This is a free service, but it is imperative that you help our authenticators by using the following format:
  • FOR ITEMS LISTED ONLINE:
    Item:
    Listing number:
    Seller and site where listed
    Link:
    Comments:

  • FOR ITEMS NOT LISTED ONLINE:
    Item:
    Where purchased or how obtained
    Comments:
BASIC PICTURES REQUIRED (but more may be requested): If necessary pictures are in the listing, it's not necessary to upload and duplicate them.
  • Front of item
  • Back of item
  • Full clear and legible creed text and serial number
  • Made in tags (when available)
  • Measurements
  • For bags with turnlock closures, show pictures of back of female side of turnlock
  • For bags with magnetic snaps, show pictures of the male part of the snap so that the numbers and letters on it can be read
  • If applicable, search interior of bag and/or pockets for small white tag with production information and include a picture of that.
Thank you and be safe!
 
  • Like
Reactions: jenAC, joeesan, starlight1247 and 106 others
#26,793
Hi, I'd love to get some help! I bought this Coach bag years ago at a thrift shop. I've held onto it thinking I'd use it but I never have. It's in great shape. I was thinking about selling it but I have no idea what it's worth or even what style/shape you would call this so that I can do a search and get a sense of value. Finally, I want to see if it's real because that would affect the value and because I don't want to misrepresent what I'm selling. Any help appreciated!
Dimensions: About 10.5 inches wide at the widest point (toward the bottom), and about 9.5 inches tall at the tallest, not including handles. It's brown leather, it's kind of a weird shape - it has a flat bottom with 4 little brass (?) feet on it and the top kind of snaps shut (I don't mean that it has a snap, I mean that it claps shut with hinges), no zipper, snaps, or any other hardware, it doesn't appear to have a place for a long handle or shoulder strap. Thanks!IMG_0489.JPG

IMG_0487.JPG IMG_0485.JPG
 
Last edited:
#26,794
whatswiththiscoachbag said:
Hi, I'd love to get some help! I bought this Coach bag years ago at a thrift shop. I've held onto it thinking I'd use it but I never have. It's in great shape. I was thinking about selling it but I have no idea what it's worth or even what style/shape you would call this so that I can do a search and get a sense of value. Finally, I want to see if it's real because that would affect the value and because I don't want to misrepresent what I'm selling. Any help appreciated!
It's brown leather, it's kind of a weird shape - it has a flat bottom with 4 little brass (?) feet on it and the top kind of snaps shut (I don't mean that it has a snap, I mean that it claps shut with hinges), no zipper, snaps, or any other hardware, it doesn't appear to have a place for a long handle or shoulder strap. Thanks!View attachment 3933834

View attachment 3933827 View attachment 3933828
Click to expand...
Interesting! I think you would have trouble selling it. The creed stamping matches some in my files, but there are several problems. First, it is missing the first digit which is not impossible, as it happened sometimes. Second, it shows the A plant, which was only used rarely, possibly only for training, or by mistake. Third, it shows an 1996 date and has the old style creed wording. This might be okay, but we can't tell since we don't know which month it was made because the month code is missing. In my records, I have December 1995 A plant creeds with the old wording, and March 1996 creeds with new wording. So the old wording could be okay if it was made in January or February.

The biggest problem I see is the style number doesn't match the style of the bag.

The next biggest problem is the style itself. I don't recognize it. It might be a one of a kind, a style that never made it into production. If that was the case, the A plant and the wrong style number kind of makes sense. However, with all these problems, there is no way to prove it is authentic.

More opinions are welcome, and eagerly sought!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Couturexec
#26,796
whatswiththiscoachbag said:
Hi, I'd love to get some help! I bought this Coach bag years ago at a thrift shop. I've held onto it thinking I'd use it but I never have. It's in great shape. I was thinking about selling it but I have no idea what it's worth or even what style/shape you would call this so that I can do a search and get a sense of value. Finally, I want to see if it's real because that would affect the value and because I don't want to misrepresent what I'm selling. Any help appreciated!
Dimensions: About 10.5 inches wide at the widest point (toward the bottom), and about 9.5 inches tall at the tallest, not including handles. It's brown leather, it's kind of a weird shape - it has a flat bottom with 4 little brass (?) feet on it and the top kind of snaps shut (I don't mean that it has a snap, I mean that it claps shut with hinges), no zipper, snaps, or any other hardware, it doesn't appear to have a place for a long handle or shoulder strap. Thanks!View attachment 3933834

View attachment 3933827 View attachment 3933828
Click to expand...

whateve said:
Interesting! I think you would have trouble selling it. The creed stamping matches some in my files, but there are several problems. First, it is missing the first digit which is not impossible, as it happened sometimes. Second, it shows the A plant, which was only used rarely, possibly only for training, or by mistake. Third, it shows an 1996 date and has the old style creed wording. This might be okay, but we can't tell since we don't know which month it was made because the month code is missing. In my records, I have December 1995 A plant creeds with the old wording, and March 1996 creeds with new wording. So the old wording could be okay if it was made in January or February.

The biggest problem I see is the style number doesn't match the style of the bag.

The next biggest problem is the style itself. I don't recognize it. It might be a one of a kind, a style that never made it into production. If that was the case, the A plant and the wrong style number kind of makes sense. However, with all these problems, there is no way to prove it is authentic.

More opinions are welcome, and eagerly sought!
Click to expand...

whatswiththiscoachbag said:
Thanks so much! No wonder I can't find that same style anywhere online!
Click to expand...
@whatswiththiscoachbag - is there a possibility that the pocket with the creed was taken from another Coach bag and added to this one to "turn it in to a Coach?"

I have no other suggestions other than to say that the creed looks like a Coach creed but have the same concerns as @whateve with regard to authenticity and proof of such.

I will say I did some searching for *6A-4156 and came up empty. In fact, I found only ONE A plant bag and as whateve pointed out, it has different wording on the creed. The stamped serial number font is different from the bag in question too.

From December, 1996.
coach M6A-9942 auth.png
 
#26,799
whatswiththiscoachbag said:
Hi, I'd love to get some help! I bought this Coach bag years ago at a thrift shop. I've held onto it thinking I'd use it but I never have. It's in great shape. I was thinking about selling it but I have no idea what it's worth or even what style/shape you would call this so that I can do a search and get a sense of value. Finally, I want to see if it's real because that would affect the value and because I don't want to misrepresent what I'm selling. Any help appreciated!
Dimensions: About 10.5 inches wide at the widest point (toward the bottom), and about 9.5 inches tall at the tallest, not including handles. It's brown leather, it's kind of a weird shape - it has a flat bottom with 4 little brass (?) feet on it and the top kind of snaps shut (I don't mean that it has a snap, I mean that it claps shut with hinges), no zipper, snaps, or any other hardware, it doesn't appear to have a place for a long handle or shoulder strap. Thanks!View attachment 3933834

View attachment 3933827 View attachment 3933828
Click to expand...

whateve said:
Interesting! I think you would have trouble selling it. The creed stamping matches some in my files, but there are several problems. First, it is missing the first digit which is not impossible, as it happened sometimes. Second, it shows the A plant, which was only used rarely, possibly only for training, or by mistake. Third, it shows an 1996 date and has the old style creed wording. This might be okay since Whateve has pointed out, but we can't really tell since we don't know which month it was made because the month code is missing. In my records, I have December 1995 A plant creeds with the old wording, and March 1996 creeds with new wording. So the old wording could be okay if it was made in January or February.

The biggest problem I see is the style number doesn't match the style of the bag.

The next biggest problem is the style itself. I don't recognize it. It might be a one of a kind, a style that never made it into production. If that was the case, the A plant and the wrong style number kind of makes sense. However, with all these problems, there is no way to prove it is authentic.

More opinions are welcome, and eagerly sought!
Click to expand...

I can't figure that one out either. Not only is the style number wrong, but it also has the old creed wording. You'd expect a bag with those mistakes to have been sent to the outlet like other creed mistakes we've seen but there's no visible outlet stamp. And the "overstamping" marks all look right.

The only other 1996 A plant bag in my files is this one from a Carousel Bag with a Final Sale stamp:

1996_A-PLANT-9942-Carousel Bag w FS STAMP-a.JPG

ETA - Looks like BeenBurned just added another one for my collection - thanks, BB!

EATA - Maybe Whateve's mention of "being used for training" might be a possibility, and the bag was sold to an employee without being marked as an Employee sale. They probably would have used an older stamp that had been taken back by the factory. I doubt if we'll ever know, but it makes sense knowing Coach's frequent lack of attention to detail. As always, "The most consistent thing about Coach is their inconsistency".
 
Last edited:
#26,800
Hyacinth said:
The only other 1996 A plant bag in my files is this one from a Carousel Bag with a Final Sale stamp:

View attachment 3933930

ETA - Looks like BeenBurned just added another one for my collection - thanks, BB!
Click to expand...
My apologies for providing potentially unnecessary input, but you may wish to examine and add the following A-plant creed, albeit from 1994, that I coincidentally stumbled upon today to your records...

https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-coach-XL-Hobo-Bucket-Duffle-Bag-9085-5a5a8add8af1c5c8f5364421

And from what I recall reading somewhere, the A plant was used throughout the mid-1990s for a variety of purposes, one of which was to fulfill time-sensitive small volume supply chain shortages that arose for styles where the remaining personnel had experience making. And in the ident number in question, the two small tick marks over the what should be the month position appear to be the bottoms of the letter "A." So if I had to guess, this ought have been a February 1996 imprint, the period immediately before when the "old wording" stamp was retired (perhaps because it was falling apart?).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Catbird9, Transported and whateve
#26,802
RL Bernstein said:
My apologies for providing potentially unnecessary input, but you may wish to examine and add the following A-plant creed, albeit from 1994, that I coincidentally stumbled upon today to your records...

https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-coach-XL-Hobo-Bucket-Duffle-Bag-9085-5a5a8add8af1c5c8f5364421

And from what I recall reading somewhere, the A plant was used throughout the mid-1990s for a variety of purposes, one of which was to fulfill time-sensitive small volume supply chain shortages that arose for styles where the remaining personnel had experience making. And in the ident number in question, the two small tick marks over the what should be the month position appear to be the bottoms of the letter "A." So if I had to guess, this ought have been a February 1996 imprint, the period immediately before when the "old wording" stamp was retired (perhaps because it was falling apart?).
Click to expand...

There are 2 late 1994 A plant creeds in my files and the creed part of the stamp looks very similar. As you said, it looks like it was on its last legs, the Coach logo is almost worn away on the right side..

ETA - And don't ever apologise for "unneccessary input", we absolutely LOVE to analyze all these little details! There's no such thing as being "TOO anal-retentive"! :giggle:

1994_A plant_L4A-9525-a.jpg 1994_A-plant-K4A-9085-a.jpg

Just another one of Coach's little mysteries created to drive future generations of Coachies crazy. :biggrin:
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: whateve
#26,803
RL Bernstein said:
My apologies for providing potentially unnecessary input, but you may wish to examine and add the following A-plant creed, albeit from 1994, that I coincidentally stumbled upon today to your records...

https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-coach-XL-Hobo-Bucket-Duffle-Bag-9085-5a5a8add8af1c5c8f5364421

And from what I recall reading somewhere, the A plant was used throughout the mid-1990s for a variety of purposes, one of which was to fulfill time-sensitive small volume supply chain shortages that arose for styles where the remaining personnel had experience making. And in the ident number in question, the two small tick marks over the what should be the month position appear to be the bottoms of the letter "A." So if I had to guess, this ought have been a February 1996 imprint, the period immediately before when the "old wording" stamp was retired (perhaps because it was falling apart?).
Click to expand...
Interestingly, the listing you're showing for 1994 has the same font as the 1996 bag in question:
Coach? _6A-4156 vs authentic 1994 A plant.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top