TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
If you read the description a bit farther down and the subtitle line right under the listing title, it's actually a genuine Carrier Brief style 9800 which is a little larger than a Musette but very similar in design and details except for having an outside back pocket and sometimes a longer strap. The seller is also a tPF member who authenticates any questionable or unusual bags here before she lists them. 
Originally Posted by Hyacinth
The Musette was a much earlier design than the Carrier Bag, which was only introduced in the late 1980s. The Carrier Bag was designed first and foremost as a briefcase while the Musette was designed as a large all-purpose handbag. As for colors, Coach has made many shades of brown just as they've made many shades of British Tan. Colors can also change over time and some darker vcolors especially black fade noticeably with use and exposure to light and pollutants. They've also used leather from different sources and it's very possible that leathers on different bags won't be the same. You can't ever compare a bag to a different style or a bag made in a different time period. Remember, using a bag often WILL make the leather less stiff - you said yourself that this bag seems almost unused while your old Musettes have been used often, so doesn't that extra use mean less stiff leather?
As we've said many times before, you can only compare apples with apples, and those apples have to be from the same plant, month and year for any comparison to be valid. A Carrier Bag from 1989 is NOT going to have the same details as a Musette from maybe 10 years earlier. A briefcase won't have the same design features as a handbag.
BTW, I looked at the bag in the auction listing when you first posted and didn't see any problems.
thanks so much for both replies. i feel much better. i hadnt realized the carrier was made well into the 80s, so that might account for the difference. both my original bags are 'carrier' as well but bought late 70s early 80s? (same size as this new one) and that's why i was worried about differences in leather, feel, etc. it's been close to 25 years that i've had a "new" old bag!! last time i bought a new coach was probably mid to late 80s. once they went 'mod' i lost interest. now with ebay i've rediscovered a passion for the vintage bags, bad, bad.
Does this look like an authentic bag? I did a search and the seller seems to have some fakes; is that a good reason to avoid it? it's such a cool bag.
OK, when I did a search of the seller here, some negative issues came up. i love the bag though, so am glad it's authentic, albeit probably more than i can afford!!GOOD seller. She has ALL her items "authenticated".
The bag is perfectly fine. I think it's exactly as described..."Skinny Flight Bag".
Again, thank you. so are you suggesting i avoid in general buying a bag from her given that she has passed off obvious fakes? or should i be ok with this bag which rem-dam says is a "good bag"? sorry, i'm really new at this. and yes, i will read your post #1 for formatting rules, thanks.
