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!

 

[chlee1]

Hi all you coach experts, there is a vintage coach penny bag that I'd like to authenticate. It looks to be in immaculate condition. The creed tag seems a bit off to me... almost too clean and pristine for the age. But again, I'm new to the world of vintage coach, so I have no clue...

Item: Coach Vintage USA MADE Penny Pocket Turnlock Flap Shoulder Bag British Tan 9755
Listing number: 262148700389
Seller: wearforless_7
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coach-Vinta...700389?hash=item3d0947b8e5:g:~AkAAOSwT4lWS6U2

Many thanks

 

[whateve]

Hi all you coach experts, there is a vintage coach penny bag that I'd like to authenticate. It looks to be in immaculate condition. The creed tag seems a bit off to me... almost too clean and pristine for the age. But again, I'm new to the world of vintage coach, so I have no clue...

Item: Coach Vintage USA MADE Penny Pocket Turnlock Flap Shoulder Bag British Tan 9755
Listing number: 262148700389
Seller: wearforless_7
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coach-Vinta...700389?hash=item3d0947b8e5:g:~AkAAOSwT4lWS6U2

Many thanks

It's not a Penny and it's not that old. It's a pocket purse made in 1996. It looks fine.

 

[chlee1]

It's not a Penny and it's not that old. It's a pocket purse made in 1996. It looks fine.

Strange, I see many listings with the name Penny of that exact style. I thought those ending in "9755" are Penny bags?

Here is another, seems to be identical style: https://www.etsy.com/listing/256009...rch_query=coach british tan&ref=sr_gallery_41

Another reason I thought the first eBay auction may be counterfeit, besides the immaculate condition, is that the back seems to be covered in those stretch marks I've been reading about that are hallmarks of fake vintage coach bags?

 

[BAGS0422]

Please authenticate this listing
ebay
item number 131643580582
seller billybblue
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131643580582?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649
thank you so much as always for all your help

 

[Hyacinth]

Please authenticate this listing
ebay
item number 131643580582
seller billybblue
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131643580582?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649
thank you so much as always for all your help

There are 3 things about it I'm not comfortable with, but I'd need to see a full length photo of the inside pocket, zipper and edges. I'd also like a better photo of the strap ends and even the back of the buckles if that were possible. But from what I'm seeing, I'm saying it's very questionable and I can't recommend buying it.

I DON'T think it should be reported, that seller usually doesn't list fakes. But what I'm seeing is setting off alarms.

 

[Hyacinth]

Strange, I see many listings with the name Penny of that exact style. I thought those ending in "9755" are Penny bags?

Here is another, seems to be identical style: https://www.etsy.com/listing/256009...rch_query=coach british tan&ref=sr_gallery_41

Another reason I thought the first eBay auction may be counterfeit, besides the immaculate condition, is that the back seems to be covered in those stretch marks I've been reading about that are hallmarks of fake vintage coach bags?

Don't EVER expect sellers to know OR use the correct name of a bag. OR when it was made, OR who designed it, OR how rare it is.

9755 has never been a Penny, and I don't care what sellers call it, they can call it a Flying Purple People Eater if they want to. Coach calls it a Pocket Purse, see the catalog picture below. Except for a very recent remake, Coach hasn't made a "Penny" for about 35 years. There are none in any catalogs dated after 1981 and maybe even earlier.

And those aren't the kind of wrinkles we warn people about.

 

[whateve]

Please authenticate this listing
ebay
item number 131643580582
seller billybblue
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131643580582?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649
thank you so much as always for all your help

There are 3 things about it I'm not comfortable with, but I'd need to see a full length photo of the inside pocket, zipper and edges. I'd also like a better photo of the strap ends and even the back of the buckles if that were possible. But from what I'm seeing, I'm saying it's very questionable and I can't recommend buying it.

I DON'T think it should be reported, that seller usually doesn't list fakes. But what I'm seeing is setting off alarms.

The listing has ended. I don't need any other information to determine authenticity. In my opinion, it is definitely fake. Besides the invalid creed, the last two pictures show the ends of the pocket zipper.

I am surprised as I've never seen this seller with a fake. This proves that it makes sense to get every potential purchase authenticated.

 

[BAGS0422]

the listing has ended. I don't need any other information to determine authenticity. In my opinion, it is definitely fake. Besides the invalid creed, the last two pictures show the ends of the pocket zipper.

I am surprised as i've never seen this seller with a fake. This proves that it makes sense to get every potential purchase authenticated.

sorry to say this and i appreciate your support but i am billybblue and i will refund the buyer right away
the bag was so beautiful
i definately try to be honest and list only authentic bags but i don't know everything after 7 years of selling primarily coach
i went to the thrift store the other day and talked to the lady in their boutique area and she said she went to classes as part of her job.
They know the real ones and mark them up but still sell fake ones for 20.00
my favorite bag is new york city or the ones with the circle for outlet or the x for other discount stores
thank you both, again for all your help

 

[Hyacinth]

sorry to say this and i appreciate your support but i am billybblue and i will refund the buyer right away
the bag was so beautiful
i definately try to be honest and list only authentic bags but i don't know everything after 7 years of selling primarily coach
i went to the thrift store the other day and talked to the lady in their boutique area and she said she went to classes as part of her job.
They know the real ones and mark them up but still sell fake ones for 20.00
my favorite bag is new york city or the ones with the circle for outlet or the x for other discount stores
thank you both, again for all your help

You're welcome, I'm glad we caught it before it went any further. Thanks for being so conscientious! Too bad the scammers making those almost-perfect fakes couldn't put their energies to better use making quality bags that weren't ripping off another manufacturer's styles. Even fakes can be well-made and have high-quality leathers, Korean fakes especially are famous for that and Korea has a reputation in Asia for fine leathers just like Italy does in Europe. (And personally I think the Italian-made Coaches are the best of both worlds!)

Classes for resale store owners may help a little, but something like checking to see if the serial font, plant codes or date of manufacture are valid takes a lot more effort and a huge library of notes and photos for comparison. I'd be willing to bet that just among myself, BeenBurned, Whateve and Noshoepolish we probably have close to a million photos saved of both real and fake bags that we use when authenticating. And that's not including the notes we've taken and saved or the catalogs we've collected.

The Pat's Legacys are a faker's favorite, along with Willises, Tafts, and some other classic styles. It's a good idea to keep a photo file of the details of what you're 100 percent sure are genuine versions of those for comparison in case you don't have an actual example available at that time.

That too-short inside pocket zipper is always a huge red flag and we've seen it a lot. The Stitching around the inside pocket was wrong too, and the serial number font was totally wrong for that plant and time period.

Outlet stamps are a good sign, but those can be faked too. And it's even more likely that a fakes seller or distributor would "return" close fakes without a receipt or any price tags ("it was a gift and I don't have the tags" blah blah) to a retail or department store or outlet for cash especially during a super-busy time like right after the holidays, and store personnel who were already being run ragged wouldn't look at the returns too closely. They probably would go to the outlet or to a discount section of a department store. So stamps are never 100 percent trustworthy either.

 

[BeenBurned]

Please authenticate this listing
ebay
item number 131643580582
seller billybblue
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131643580582?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649
thank you so much as always for all your help

There are 3 things about it I'm not comfortable with, but I'd need to see a full length photo of the inside pocket, zipper and edges. I'd also like a better photo of the strap ends and even the back of the buckles if that were possible. But from what I'm seeing, I'm saying it's very questionable and I can't recommend buying it.

I DON'T think it should be reported, that seller usually doesn't list fakes. But what I'm seeing is setting off alarms.

The listing has ended. I don't need any other information to determine authenticity. In my opinion, it is definitely fake. Besides the invalid creed, the last two pictures show the ends of the pocket zipper.

I am surprised as I've never seen this seller with a fake. This proves that it makes sense to get every potential purchase authenticated.

sorry to say this and i appreciate your support but i am billybblue and i will refund the buyer right away
the bag was so beautiful
i definately try to be honest and list only authentic bags but i don't know everything after 7 years of selling primarily coach
i went to the thrift store the other day and talked to the lady in their boutique area and she said she went to classes as part of her job.
They know the real ones and mark them up but still sell fake ones for 20.00
my favorite bag is new york city or the ones with the circle for outlet or the x for other discount stores
thank you both, again for all your help

I'd already made a comparison side-by-side and although classic bags aren't my area of expertise, I wanted to post this additional "evidence" of differences in the creed.

 

[sofiesidibe]

Newbie to the boards, but I've been lurking for some time, learning more about the world of vintage bags. I'm interested in purchasing the oldie below. Hope someone can help out with authentication. The serial number is not aligned, a little crooked, but otherwise it seems ok.

Name: Vintage COACH New York City black leather turnlock clutch
Seller: mclosuit
Number: 401024675696
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-COA...c2d45d7&pid=100034&rk=1&rkt=8&sd=131653909206

 

[oldbaglover]

That brown Patricia bag would have fooled me also as that is a pretty good fake. Now that I have read all the comments, I see that the No on the creed didnt have a dot underneath. Thanks to the forum experts!

 

[whateve]

Newbie to the boards, but I've been lurking for some time, learning more about the world of vintage bags. I'm interested in purchasing the oldie below. Hope someone can help out with authentication. The serial number is not aligned, a little crooked, but otherwise it seems ok.

Name: Vintage COACH New York City black leather turnlock clutch
Seller: mclosuit
Number: 401024675696
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-COA...c2d45d7&pid=100034&rk=1&rkt=8&sd=131653909206

It's fine. It's a pocket purse #9755. There's a picture of an ad for it a few posts back. The fact that the number isn't aligned is because stamping the creed and stamping the number were done in two separate operations.

 

[whateve]

sorry to say this and i appreciate your support but i am billybblue and i will refund the buyer right away
the bag was so beautiful
i definately try to be honest and list only authentic bags but i don't know everything after 7 years of selling primarily coach
i went to the thrift store the other day and talked to the lady in their boutique area and she said she went to classes as part of her job.
They know the real ones and mark them up but still sell fake ones for 20.00
my favorite bag is new york city or the ones with the circle for outlet or the x for other discount stores
thank you both, again for all your help

You're welcome. I know you try to be conscientious but everyone makes mistakes. You should always pay attention to the inside pocket, both the zipper and the shape and size of the pocket. We've seen that short pocket zipper on many fakes. It is pretty easy to spot once you know what you're looking for. Coach zippers go all the way end to end on the pocket. Some fakes have a leather frame around the ends of the zipper because the standard zippers they used weren't the correct length to fit all the way to the ends.

Always check the main zipper pull as well to make sure it is sewn all the way around. Also check the buckles to make sure they aren't stamped "solid brass" on a later bag.

That brown Patricia bag would have fooled me also as that is a pretty good fake. Now that I have read all the comments, I see that the No on the creed didnt have a dot underneath. Thanks to the forum experts!

The underline is too long, the "o" is too big, the font of the numbers is too curved, while the font Coach usually used was more square. Compare the "9's" and the "D."

 

[Aunt Clara]

Hi, Aunt Clara, we haven't seen you around lately! Still recovering from Halloween? You naughty Party Witch, you !

It's perfectly genuine. "A" plant codes are very rare, "B" codes were being phased out by that date if they hadn't already been discontinued, and "C" codes were also almost finished. Most of the early plants didn't make it to the end of that decade so there's no reason why any of those codes should be in your bag. The M code is perfectly legit and so is the Small Sidepack. It's in nice condition too, and just the right size to hold an Eye of Newt or Toe of Frog.

LOL, Hyacinth!!

Thank you so much! I was stuck in the chimney again, still can't twitch the old nose like I used to, but would love to visit to see what sort of trouble we could stir up over a beaker or two in your kitchen (no need for the Royal Doulton with the hand-painted periwinkles for me!)

xoxox, Clara