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
#47,356
KLFD said:
OK, thank you! That makes sense about refunding and not reselling of course!

Just a follow up question about the serial number not corresponding to the style of bag:

This website :
https://vintagecoachbags.com/index.php/authenticity-guide/
says:
Mid to Late 1970s

Under the Coach® Creed is printed: “MADE IN THE UNITED STATES” or “MADE IN U.S.A.” (This change is because Coach® began to manufacture bags in other locations within the United States, besides New York City.)

Serial number contains seven numbers in the format: xxx-xxxx.

The serial number is unique to each bag and does not correspond to the style number.

Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Most online guides (at best) are incomplete. But many have inaccurate and outdated information or a combination of all of the above.

Such is the case with the guide you posted and from which you are basing your assessment of why the style number/serial number doesn't match the correct style of the bag.

Comments below refer to authentic bags. There are fakes with all numeric serial numbers as well as fakes with 1994 and later types of serial numbers.
In the case of bags with random serial numbers, those are bags with ALL NUMERIC codes and were made before 1994.

The fake bag you sold has a 1994-and later serial number.
E5D would mean the bag was made in May 1995 in the D plant.
9974 would mean the bag is style 9994 which on an authentic bag looks like this. (Note that there may also be fakes with the "correct" style number.)

The guide you referenced also has this incorrect/misleading info:
You can be quite certain that a bag is inauthentic if you examine its creed and find either: 1) at least one misspelling or 2) at least one word or phrase inconsistent with either of the two versions of the creed above.
The fact is that although rare, Coach has made mistakes on creeds. There have been creeds on authentic items with misspellings and there have been creeds "inconsistent with either of the two versions of the creed above.

And for the record, there have been creeds on leather bags that described "custom developed" fabric and there have been creeds on fabric bags that describe a leather item.

It's important that all items be looked at when there appears to be a mistake.

I've added two examples of creeds from authentic bags with very obvious spelling mistakes. (My records have other different types of mistakes.)
The point is that mistakes do happen!
8319 coach stamping error COMPIETEIY misspelled D2K.jpg 8319 coach stamping error COMPIFTFIY misspelled D1K -1 VERY CLEAR.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: vickenator
#47,358
KLFD said:
OK, thank you! That makes sense about refunding and not reselling of course!

Just a follow up question about the serial number not corresponding to the style of bag:

This website :
https://vintagecoachbags.com/index.php/authenticity-guide/
says:
Mid to Late 1970s

Under the Coach® Creed is printed: “MADE IN THE UNITED STATES” or “MADE IN U.S.A.” (This change is because Coach® began to manufacture bags in other locations within the United States, besides New York City.)

Serial number contains seven numbers in the format: xxx-xxxx.

The serial number is unique to each bag and does not correspond to the style number.

Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Ignore that guide. It is full of misinformation. There are accurate guides on the forum in this thread: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/salearea-guides.983575/
 
  • Like
Reactions: BeenBurned
#47,359
katev said:
Thanks for the great information and pictures @Hyacinth; you've got a very nice bag @Serena Shaw!
Click to expand...

Thank you Katev! You've got some great, drool-worthy bags too that are on my radar!

I've been keeping notes and in an older post
Whateve mentioned that: Bags in this line don't come up very often but when they do, the leather is usually very scratched. This bag looks in the pictures to be in really good shape. Got my fingers crossed!

Hyacinth, thank you so much for the additional information. You're truly a wealth of knowledge!

I got very lucky that it didn't go much higher. Hope everyone stay safe!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: whateve and katev
#47,360
KLFD said:
OK, thank you! That makes sense about refunding and not reselling of course!

Just a follow up question about the serial number not corresponding to the style of bag:

This website :
https://vintagecoachbags.com/index.php/authenticity-guide/
says:
Mid to Late 1970s

Under the Coach® Creed is printed: “MADE IN THE UNITED STATES” or “MADE IN U.S.A.” (This change is because Coach® began to manufacture bags in other locations within the United States, besides New York City.)

Serial number contains seven numbers in the format: xxx-xxxx.

The serial number is unique to each bag and does not correspond to the style number.

Is that correct?
Click to expand...

Just some more info on that "guide" you were unfortunate enough to find and which should have been removed years ago. It was never accurate and never will be, but has made it's way onto the writer's Instagram and Twitter pages as well as other websites and is apparently still used by sellers who should know better.

The original of that innaccurate, deceptive and just plain dangerous guide is on the website "vintagecoachbags DOT com", and I think was a re-post of equally wrong information dating back to around 2009 from what might have been a different Ebay seller. I found a post at Ebay's Fashion Forum where several of their most experienced Coach authenticators found other mistakes similar to what BeenBurned already posted in this thread and which proves why this "guide" from VINTAGECOACHBAGS , which was probably copied from an older equally bad guide, and the dangerous mistakes it contains should never be depended on. Whoever posted the warning about it at Ebay sounded angry and didn't mince words, and I agree with what they've said. The posts can be found here:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Fashion/Need-a-coach-purse-authentication/m-p/30632107#M104296

Please read the Signature at the bottom of every one of my posts for my opinion on these and anything else that calls itself an "authenticity guide". There's a lot more involved in proving authenticity than a few details that are usually changed by Coach every 2, 3 or 4 years, or that changes according to the materials or type and processing of the leather used for the bag. None of those out-of-date guides can ever be depended on and many may actually be dangerous. There are probably thousands of people who bought fakes because the zippers were stamped "YKK" and many guides swore on a stack of bibles that a YKK zipper proved a Coach was genuine. IT DIDN'T. There are exceptions to almost every so-called "Rule" you'll find in every one of those guides. And regardless of what most guides claim, Coach can, did, and still does, make mistakes. The best source of information and one that I can personally vouch for is the set of Salearea Guides already mentioned here.
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/salearea-guides.983575/


Always let the experts do the authenticating, and don't believe everything you find on the internet.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BeenBurned
#47,361
Serena Shaw said:
Thank you Katev! You've got some great, drool-worthy bags too that are on my radar!

I've been keeping notes and in an older post
Whateve mentioned that: Bags in this line don't come up very often but when they do, the leather is usually very scratched. This bag looks in the pictures to be in really good shape. Got my fingers crossed!

Hyacinth, thank you so much for the additional information. You're truly a wealth of knowledge!

I got very lucky that it didn't go much higher. Hope everyone stay safe!
Click to expand...

Even if it has some scratches you can probably make it look nice; see the link below for after and before pics of a black Gramercy Zip that I rehabbed several years ago - it was pretty scratched up:

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.833400/page-1717#post-33647671
 
  • Like
Reactions: Serena Shaw
#47,362
  • Like
Reactions: katev
#47,363
BeenBurned said:
This has to be one of the weirdest listings I've ever seen. (And there have been some oddballs.)

Can anyone read the creed? I'm wondering if the "choker" is made from parts of a fake.

seller cloth777
https://www.ebay.com/itm/143560960495?ViewItem=&item=143560960495
COACH Leather Zipper Choker 1 of kind CLoTH AdK Resurrection

View attachment 4695034 View attachment 4695035 View attachment 4695036
Click to expand...

Saaski said:
I can't make it out either but that is...one "interesting" necklace.
Click to expand...

Narnanz said:
looks like someone was trying to be creative but failed.
Click to expand...

Saaski said:
I used to make jewelry both as a hobby and professionally and I, ah, cannot say this design appeals to me, that's for sure.
Click to expand...

Hyacinth said:
OH

MY

DOG.


"One of a kind"? Gee, I wonder why?

I thought about reporting it since the patch definitely looks fake, but anyone foolish enough to buy it deserves it.
Click to expand...
LOL! And here's the answer. It's from a fake bag, serial number JHM-6070.

seller cloth777
cloth777 JHM-6070 creed choker 1.png cloth777 JHM-6070 creed choker 2.png cloth777 JHM-6070 creed choker 3.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: vickenator, LunaSilver, Narnanz and 1 other person
#47,369
Would an authenticator please take a look at these two listings for me?

#1
Item: some type of briefcase
Site: etsy
Seller: cheshirevintageshop
Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/787863...her-coach?ref=search_recently_viewed-12&frs=1

#2
Item: some type of briefcase
Site: mercari
Seller: ccoll8548
Link: https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m90095733109/

If either or both are authentic, I'd really appreciate an idea of which bags they are. And possibly a color guess for the first one? It's listed as grey, but I'm wondering if it's possibly a different color and just very sad and dry.

Thank you!
 
#47,370
Saaski said:
Would an authenticator please take a look at these two listings for me?

#1
Item: some type of briefcase
Site: etsy
Seller: cheshirevintageshop
Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/787863...her-coach?ref=search_recently_viewed-12&frs=1

#2
Item: some type of briefcase
Site: mercari
Seller: ccoll8548
Link: https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m90095733109/

If either or both are authentic, I'd really appreciate an idea of which bags they are. And possibly a color guess for the first one? It's listed as grey, but I'm wondering if it's possibly a different color and just very sad and dry.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

1- genuine, it looks like a Metropolitan Brief Bag, style 5180, from some time between 1990 and 1993. I checked my catalogs from those years and didn't see any Gray color choice listed though. I don't like trying to guess colors because there are just too many things that can affect how they look, and the camera doesn't see colors the same way the human eye does. All I can tell you is that it's not a listed color. But sometimes colors showed up in the stores that weren't listed in the catalogs, such as when they might have a very limited amount of gray leather left over from a previous year. The last year before this one was made when Gray Flannel was available was late 1988, and this serial number is from 1990 or newer.

If anyone else wants to try to figure out the actual color, they're welcome to.

2- genuine, probably the same style and time period as the first one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Saaski
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top