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

[Vlad]

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!

 

[s4uare]

Oh no! Does it not let u see my post? Sorry this is my first post on here.

Your post seems to have disappeared!

Item: Coach Sample bag?
Purchased: Estate sale
Comments: All hardware seems consistent, leather is soft, well taken care of, I only found an old lens wipe inside. Looking for some authentication and more information. Thank you so much!View attachment 5784689View attachment 5784690View attachment 5784691View attachment 5784692View attachment 5784693View attachment 5784694

Number: A2A-0000

 

[Hyacinth]

I Posted the link to this discussion in the PM listing comments section. Hopefully the seller will be honest and remove her false claim.

https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-Coach-Drawstring-Bucket-Pebbled-Leather-Backpack-Sling-Bag-643d6470981d4880e9b47d05?

View attachment 5784751

Thank you, I appreciate your efforts to throw some light on the seller's claims. I'm still reading today's posts (it's been a busy day!) and will be very interested to see if your Comments at Posh have any effect.

 

[BeenBurned]

Oh for the love!!
Thanks for letting me know.
Purchased from Mercari

Mercari: Your Marketplace

Mercari is your marketplace. It's the perfect place to declutter and discover items that are uniquely you. Say 'goodbye' to your old go-tos and 'hello' to one-of-a-kind treasures.

merc.li

Peyton zipper tote
16x11.5x4

View attachment 5784715

View attachment 5784716

View attachment 5784717

View attachment 5784718

View attachment 5784719

View attachment 5784720

View attachment 5784721

View attachment 5784722

View attachment 5784723

It looks pink in your pictures rather than red like the listing. I think it is authentic. More opinions are welcome.

It looks good to me also.

 

[Hyacinth]

Oh no! Does it not let u see my post? Sorry this is my first post on here.


Number: A2A-0000

Sample bags in most cases can't be positively authenticated. We usually advise against buying them because there is no way to date the bag or to know exactly what style it's supposed to be, especially if the style never made it to production. They don't have valid serial numbers, style numbers or production codes. And we NEVER recommend buying them for resale.

I don't think it's fake, but I can't give it a positive authentication either as long as the details we use when authenticating such as accurate serial numbers aren't available. As long as you're buying it for personal use only, I believe you'll enjoy it and get plenty of use out of it since everything I see except the serial number is consistent with a Coach from the early 2000s.

 

[OutOfTheBox]

Hello Ladies, I hope you are all well! I have yet another bag given to me by my Godmother, I can’t find much on it other than maybe it’s from the Manhattan Collection. Can anyone verify style name, year & collection? Also, if part of the Manhattan Collection, was the line only made and sold in Italy?

Thank you in advance!
Marie

 

[BeenBurned]

I Posted the link to this discussion in the PM listing comments section. Hopefully the seller will be honest and remove her false claim.

https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-Coach-Drawstring-Bucket-Pebbled-Leather-Backpack-Sling-Bag-643d6470981d4880e9b47d05?

View attachment 5784751

Thank you, I appreciate your efforts to throw some light on the seller's claims. I'm still reading today's posts (it's been a busy day!) and will be very interested to see if your Comments at Posh have any effect.

Did you see the followups? (They aren't from the seller.)

It looks like mbeaniej believes it's authentic also and she's recommending that Facebook group to confirm.

 

[Hyacinth]

Did you see the followups? (They aren't from the seller.)

It looks like mbeaniej believes it's authentic also and she's recommending that Facebook group to confirm.

View attachment 5784970

Interesting! Another mistake to add to the "Bridle Bag Booboos Collection". It never ends...

Again - it might be a good idea to have ALL "MADE IN ITALY" bags authenticated here especially if they have a different plant code than what the Italy plant usually has (code "E"). PLEASE include a copy of the creed and serial number photo in all authentication requests. I'm sure there are more of those non E-plant fakes out there.

For instance, here's an example of a fake D-plant code plus what looks like a mis-shaped outlet stamp and a D-plant code but that's NOT the D-plant font. There should also be a comma after "Variations" and the letters in the Coach logo are too large. Other examples of the 4310 thru 4316 Sonomas in their last full production year seem to have all been made in Costa Rica with an M-plant (floater) code.



Here's a genuine Italy creed in a 1997 Sonoma, made several months BEFORE the date code in the fake 4316 with the bogus D plant creed :



Here are 2 genuine 1997 D-plant serial numbers from the months immediately before and after the H7D-4316 fake, a Coach expert should be able to recognise the early D plant font in their sleep. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge:



Fake B plant code in a "Sonoma" with the wrong lining, wrong serial fonts and a misspelled word in the creed:



TOTALLY FAKE never-made style mis-identified as a Bridle Bag with no serial number AT ALL, a description that doesn't match the bag ("gentle tumbling...distinctive texture") and a stamp on the outside front that says "COACH NEW VORK". I think that even in Italy, they know how to spell NEW YORK:






And those are just a few examples of FAKE "Made In Italy" creeds.

ETA- There are many other "Italy" fakes including bags made after 2000 with thick paper "Made In Italy" hanging tags, and a TON of fake keychains with Made in Italy printed on the labels of white-and-brown boxes. And I've always suspected thatsome "Coaches" made their way "out the back door" of the Italy plant and into circulation. The shady plant workers could have used some genuine bits and pieces, but usually didn't understand Coach serial codes enough to get those particular details correct.

 

[DL Harper]

Did you see the followups? (They aren't from the seller.)

It looks like mbeaniej believes it's authentic also and she's recommending that Facebook group to confirm.

View attachment 5784970

The listing is gone now.

 

[BeenBurned]

The listing is gone now.

mbeaniej needs her mouth washed out with soap.

 

[PrincessLiabear]

Good morning! I have been on the look out for an oxblood/dark purple colored Coach leather bag that could be used as a laptop bag and I found these three on ebay. I haven't bought any of them yet but was thinking of putting in an offer on just one as I only need one bag and don't need three. I own Coach and Coach Factory bags and accessories from the early 2000s to now that I bought directly from the stores, but I am unfamiliar with their vintage stuff. I tried searching for all of these before asking here but please let me know if I might have missed an older entry somewhere.

Item: VINTAGE COACH BROWN LEATHER METROPOLITAN PORTFOLIO BRIEFCASE
Listing number: 175684463730
Seller and site where listed: Florida Treasure Girl, ebay
Link: Vintage Coach Brown Leather Metropolitan Portfolio Briefcase
Comments: This is my number one choice. The story patch in the pictures has the serial number "No. 705-2816" and says that it is "Made in New York City, U.S.A." I tried finding the serial number online but all I can surmise is that this is possibly a mid-1980s or even 1970s bag even though the listing says 1990s. A little concern as the seller does not have many sells and it looks like they mainly resell Goodwill stuff. They only have sold about 87 things and gotten reviews for around 37 items, most of which is not Coach bags. The sale price is $95.00 plus an additional $22.80 for S&H, but I was thinking of making an offer if this is a legit Coach bag.

Item: COACH Vintage Metropolitan Leather Messenger Brief Case Computer Bag Made In USA
Listing number: 314433320145
Seller and site where listed: jmliqui50, ebay
Link: COACH Vintage Metropolitan Leather Messenger Brief Case Computer Bag Made In USA
Comments: This is my second choice. The story patch in the pictures has the serial number "No. 809-4817" and says that is it "Made in New York City, U.S.A." The story patch image is better and overall the bag looks newer (1990s?, early 2000s?) and better condition. The price point is higher even though the seller has over 1000 sells that are mostly positive. I'm inclined to believe that this is actually authentic but for the price point of $199.77 and free S&H, it makes it a harder choice as I can either buy a guaranteed Coach or Coach Factory straight from the store that I know for sure is authentic for brand new but won't be the specific color I want. If this is the only legit one of the three, then I might put in an offer to the seller and see if we can negotiate from there as the seller seems to have a long history on ebay and seems to know what he has.

Item: Vintage Coach Men's Messenger Bag M9N-5180
Listing number: 403836500382
Seller and site where listed: kaysavs09, ebay
Link: Vintage Coach Men's Messenger Bag M9N-5180
Comments: Last choice. The story patch image in the pictures has the serial number "No. M9N-5180" and says that it is "Handcrafted in Mexico". It has that bull's eye impression on the upper right hand corner of the story patch indicating it was a Coach retail bag sold at a Coach Factory/Outlet store. If I am interpreting the serial number correctly, it was made in December (M) of 1999 (9) and that the style number is "5180" but I'm not sure what "N" stands for in regards to manufacture location. Putting into Google "Coach style number 5180" actually brings up a lot of bags that look like this one but this makes me even more suspicious that it isn't legit as it seems more likely a fake would be of a well known Coach style number than an older obscure one. Also, the seller only has sold around 65 items and I am uncomfortable buying such an item from a seller with that doesn't have that many sales. At $100 with an additional $12.55 for S&H, it isn't too bad at its current condition and I could negotiate an offer, but I'm the most hesitant of this one as it's a little too good.

Thank you all in advance. I thought I was pretty savvy in my Coach shopping, but now that I'm looking into vintage Coach I realize this is a whole other level of knowledge that probably requires a Masters degree or something. Seriously, it's hard to tell the real stuff from the fake stuff, especially when the fake stuff looks so convincing! Thanks again.

 

[Hyacinth]

The listing is gone now.

One down, 999,999 to go.

 

[Hyacinth]

mbeaniej needs her mouth washed out with soap.

AMEN. I wonder how the Group she recommends gets any new members if that's an example of how they do their recruiting. Rude, crude and disgusting.

 

[BeenBurned]

Good morning! I have been on the look out for an oxblood/dark purple colored Coach leather bag that could be used as a laptop bag and I found these three on ebay. I haven't bought any of them yet but was thinking of putting in an offer on just one as I only need one bag and don't need three. I own Coach and Coach Factory bags and accessories from the early 2000s to now that I bought directly from the stores, but I am unfamiliar with their vintage stuff. I tried searching for all of these before asking here but please let me know if I might have missed an older entry somewhere.

Item: VINTAGE COACH BROWN LEATHER METROPOLITAN PORTFOLIO BRIEFCASE
Listing number: 175684463730
Seller and site where listed: Florida Treasure Girl, ebay
Link: Vintage Coach Brown Leather Metropolitan Portfolio Briefcase
Comments: This is my number one choice. The story patch in the pictures has the serial number "No. 705-2816" and says that it is "Made in New York City, U.S.A." I tried finding the serial number online but all I can surmise is that this is possibly a mid-1980s or even 1970s bag even though the listing says 1990s. A little concern as the seller does not have many sells and it looks like they mainly resell Goodwill stuff. They only have sold about 87 things and gotten reviews for around 37 items, most of which is not Coach bags. The sale price is $95.00 plus an additional $22.80 for S&H, but I was thinking of making an offer if this is a legit Coach bag.

Item: COACH Vintage Metropolitan Leather Messenger Brief Case Computer Bag Made In USA
Listing number: 314433320145
Seller and site where listed: jmliqui50, ebay
Link: COACH Vintage Metropolitan Leather Messenger Brief Case Computer Bag Made In USA
Comments: This is my second choice. The story patch in the pictures has the serial number "No. 809-4817" and says that is it "Made in New York City, U.S.A." The story patch image is better and overall the bag looks newer (1990s?, early 2000s?) and better condition. The price point is higher even though the seller has over 1000 sells that are mostly positive. I'm inclined to believe that this is actually authentic but for the price point of $199.77 and free S&H, it makes it a harder choice as I can either buy a guaranteed Coach or Coach Factory straight from the store that I know for sure is authentic for brand new but won't be the specific color I want. If this is the only legit one of the three, then I might put in an offer to the seller and see if we can negotiate from there as the seller seems to have a long history on ebay and seems to know what he has.

Item: Vintage Coach Men's Messenger Bag M9N-5180
Listing number: 403836500382
Seller and site where listed: kaysavs09, ebay
Link: Vintage Coach Men's Messenger Bag M9N-5180
Comments: Last choice. The story patch image in the pictures has the serial number "No. M9N-5180" and says that it is "Handcrafted in Mexico". It has that bull's eye impression on the upper right hand corner of the story patch indicating it was a Coach retail bag sold at a Coach Factory/Outlet store. If I am interpreting the serial number correctly, it was made in December (M) of 1999 (9) and that the style number is "5180" but I'm not sure what "N" stands for in regards to manufacture location. Putting into Google "Coach style number 5180" actually brings up a lot of bags that look like this one but this makes me even more suspicious that it isn't legit as it seems more likely a fake would be of a well known Coach style number than an older obscure one. Also, the seller only has sold around 65 items and I am uncomfortable buying such an item from a seller with that doesn't have that many sales. At $100 with an additional $12.55 for S&H, it isn't too bad at its current condition and I could negotiate an offer, but I'm the most hesitant of this one as it's a little too good.

Thank you all in advance. I thought I was pretty savvy in my Coach shopping, but now that I'm looking into vintage Coach I realize this is a whole other level of knowledge that probably requires a Masters degree or something. Seriously, it's hard to tell the real stuff from the fake stuff, especially when the fake stuff looks so convincing! Thanks again.

All are authentic.

Re the third one with the N plant code, on that particular bag, it's correct for a bag made in Mexico. (There are also fakes with N plant codes, so it's a good idea to verify authenticity if considering one.)

 

[Hyacinth]

Hello Ladies, I hope you are all well! I have yet another bag given to me by my Godmother, I can’t find much on it other than maybe it’s from the Manhattan Collection. Can anyone verify style name, year & collection? Also, if part of the Manhattan Collection, was the line only made and sold in Italy?

Thank you in advance!
Marie

View attachment 5784816

View attachment 5784817

View attachment 5784818

View attachment 5784819

View attachment 5784820

View attachment 5784821

View attachment 5784822

View attachment 5784823

View attachment 5784824

It's genuine, and from the 1997 Manhattan Collection. There was an earlier Manhattan Series that was released in late 1993, but this has a 1997 year Code and the styles were different. I don't have a style name for it.

It wasn't made for the Italian market at all, it was just one of the many styles made there. I don't know of any styles made exclusively for Italian buyers, or even if they had any retail stores or department store counter space there in 1997. They had only just set up their public website for retail sales in 1997.

 

[OutOfTheBox]

As always, your knowledge is amazing and vast! I appreciate everything you and your fellow experts do for us! Is there a way to search the forum to see if someone else has requested info on a bag in the past? I always hesitate to submit my requests for a bit not wanting to take up your time or wear out my welcome, as they say….I have gone to the catalogues you have scanned, a bit of a daunting task, I usually end up giving up after a bit and submitting my request…really just wondering if there is some research I can do before asking for your help…
Marie