AUTHENTICATE This COACH

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#9,301
I thought XXX-XXXX were the earlier bags? Mid-Late 1970's - mid 1980's?

Am I wrong?

Thanks.


Hyacinth said:
It's a Mulberry Bag from around 1991-92 so it just barely qualifies as vintage, but it's NOT from the 1970s.

"Vintage" and "Bonnie Cashin" are two of the most mis-used descriptive terms you'll find in Coach listings no matter where they're listed. Never expect a bag listed as one or the other to actually be one or the other without authentication.
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#9,302
katev said:
Item: Straw tote (10728?)
Listing number: 2943700503
Link: http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/clo/2943700503.html

Comments: I asked the seller for more pics and she sent the attached; I think she took them with a cell phone because they are kind of fuzzy but there is no pic of the creed. I tried to find the same bag on ebay and I think it is 10728 but I am not sure? I’d like to know what size it is, did this style bag come in multiple sizes? One of the ebay ads says that it originally sold for $358 but that sounds high to me. Please let me know your opinion on authenticity. Thanks for your help!
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It's authentic.
 
#9,305
Thank you

Hyacinth said:
It's a Mulberry Bag from around 1991-92 so it just barely qualifies as vintage, but it's NOT from the 1970s.

"Vintage" and "Bonnie Cashin" are two of the most mis-used descriptive terms you'll find in Coach listings no matter where they're listed. Never expect a bag listed as one or the other to actually be one or the other without authentication.
Click to expand...
 
#9,306
noshoepolish said:
I thought XXX-XXXX were the earlier bags? Mid-Late 1970's - mid 1980's?

Am I wrong?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes, in this case.

You may be getting your information from an Ebay Guide by "mrharley747" which seems to be a Copy & Paste of an earlier guide by someone called Ebelle or something similar. Their dates are WAAAAAAY off and I've verified that over and over again by checking and cross-checking bags and catalogs. Unfortunately there's no way to correct all that invalid information so if you have either of those guides saved or Bookmarked, please either discard them or mark them as invalid information. The writer(s) may sound like an expert but almost all the dates are off by as much as 10 years or more - please do NOT use their so-called guides.

The Guides I wrote for Salearea have information and dates that are as correct and up to date as I can make them, and I can find sources to back up anything posted there.

http://reviews.ebay.com/Coach-Serial-Numbers-the-Basic-Facts?ugid=10000000034886433
http://reviews.ebay.com/Coach-Creeds-the-Basic-Facts?ugid=10000000030821024

http://search.reviews.ebay.com/members/salearea_W0QQcpnameZmembersQQprZsaleareaQQuqtZg

A comparison of the Salearea Guides to the incorrect ones will show the differences.

The older xxx-xxxx serials seem to have been used as least as late as 1991 or even 1992. The Mulberry Bag is just one example, the bag was only made between early 1992 and late 1993 according to the dates of the catalogs that bag is shown in, and the known time period (maybe only 3 years for handbags) when Coach used that type of closure on its Carriage Classics bags. The bag in the listing is genuine, was made in the early 90s and still has the older-style number. In the Salearea Guides I even revised my original dates for the old-style serial numbers that I'd listed in an earlier post here at tPF after seeing several other bags from 1991-92 with the original format numbers.

The Mrharley747 guide also has other incorrect dates including the date when "Made in New York City" changed to "Made in the United States" and again, that's been verified over and over again. I hope people will eventually realize how unreliable the information in that "guide" really is, and how dangerous it is to just Copy & Paste someone else's earlier guide without even trying to confirm that the information is accurate.
 
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#9,307
Thanks for posting this - it's so interesting. It's nice to know some of the information behind the styles and the history/ stories to them - especially the 'name' legacy bags. How cool is that?!

Hyacinth said:
"Legacy" like all Coach's other terms and names, means only what they want it to mean at that particular time. Not counting the upcoming Fall bags there have probably been at least 4 "Legacy" lines. They seem to mean several things - a tribute to a previous bag, like the Rambler's Legacy Bag being an update of the older Rambler, or a new lining or type of classic-style leather like the 65th Anniversary bags most of us think of as Legacy.

There were also lines where there wasn't any obvious connection to anything older and Coach just seemed to have pulled the name out of a hat, like bags from around 2000-2001 that vaguely echoed older Cashin designs like a rolled satchel or the Crescent style, and some styles from a few years later 2003-2004 with soft thin leathers (Legacy Soft...), or the Legacy West bags from 2001-2002.

And then there are the "Name" Legacys that Coach created in 1994 as a tribute to some of their older customers. Relatives had sent in stories about how family members had loved and used specific vintage Coach styles, and variations of that style were created as a tribute, like Helen's (Helen Berg) Legacy for a lady whose descendents sent stories about her Duffle Sac, etc. I've posted a few of them below. Unfortunately Coach never saw fit to post the stories.

So there's NO one single Legacy and no sacred Holy-Grail meaning to the word, regardless of what the lovers of the 65th Anniversary bags seem to think. There are some great styles and interesting stories that we'll probably never hear, but basically it's just a name. If Coach wants to use it to increase the value of a new line in the eyes of their customers like they seem to be doing with the upcoming Fall line, there's nothing and no one to say they can't.
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#9,308
Originally Posted by Hyacinth "Legacy" like all Coach's other terms and names, means only what they want it to mean at that particular time. Not counting the upcoming Fall bags there have probably been at least 4 "Legacy" lines. They seem to mean several things - a tribute to a previous bag, like the Rambler's Legacy Bag being an update of the older Rambler, or a new lining or type of classic-style leather like the 65th Anniversary bags most of us think of as Legacy.

There were also lines where there wasn't any obvious connection to anything older and Coach just seemed to have pulled the name out of a hat, like bags from around 2000-2001 that vaguely echoed older Cashin designs like a rolled satchel or the Crescent style, and some styles from a few years later 2003-2004 with soft thin leathers (Legacy Soft...), or the Legacy West bags from 2001-2002.

And then there are the "Name" Legacys that Coach created in 1994 as a tribute to some of their older customers. Relatives had sent in stories about how family members had loved and used specific vintage Coach styles, and variations of that style were created as a tribute, like Helen's (Helen Berg) Legacy for a lady whose descendents sent stories about her Duffle Sac, etc. I've posted a few of them below. Unfortunately Coach never saw fit to post the stories.

So there's NO one single Legacy and no sacred Holy-Grail meaning to the word, regardless of what the lovers of the 65th Anniversary bags seem to think. There are some great styles and interesting stories that we'll probably never hear, but basically it's just a name. If Coach wants to use it to increase the value of a new line in the eyes of their customers like they seem to be doing with the upcoming Fall line, there's nothing and no one to say they can't.


4213jen said:
Thanks for posting this - it's so interesting. It's nice to know some of the information behind the styles and the history/ stories to them - especially the 'name' legacy bags. How cool is that?!
Click to expand...

There are two sayings that you always need to keep in mind when talking about Coach:

"The most consistent thing about Coach is its inconsistency"
and
"NOTHING is ever sacred".
 
#9,309
Hi everyone..... I have what I think is a vintage Willis. I posted it on my blog because I'm so thrilled with it. It has No. A9C-9927. Of course, the ladybug charm didn't come with it. I added it to jazz it up. Can anyone tell me more about it?
Thanks..... Tiffany

http://saintsalvage.blogspot.com/2012/04/lovin-my-vintage-coach-willis-bag.html

MYVintageCoachWillis.JPG
 
#9,311
Please authenticate...
Stewardess Bag? Coach Leatherware. Made in New York City USA
$24.99 at Goodwill in 2005
No. 497-0438 hard to read last 4 digits.
Approx. 11"w x 10"h x 4.5"d
Strap drop 18" from shoulder

Is it genuine? Style 9525? Can you guess her age?
4 little feet on bottom, forgot to shoot :)
Thanks in advance!
 

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#9,314
TDSollog said:
Hi everyone..... I have what I think is a vintage Willis. I posted it on my blog because I'm so thrilled with it. It has No. A9C-9927. Of course, the ladybug charm didn't come with it. I added it to jazz it up. Can anyone tell me more about it?
Thanks..... Tiffany

http://saintsalvage.blogspot.com/2012/04/lovin-my-vintage-coach-willis-bag.html

MYVintageCoachWillis.JPG
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Bags of this vintage aren't my specialty so I recommend you wait for Hyacinth and/or DemRam. You will need to post more pictures in order for them to authenticate it. Show the creed and the ends of the dowel. They'll let you know if there are more pics necessary.

Note that since you say that the prefix is A9C, that indicates that if authentic, the bag is from 1999, so as 12-13 years old, it's not vintage, which is considered to be 20+ years old.

As for your blog, I don't recommend the guide to which you referred for your information. The "author" of that guide plagiarized another expert's guide and her information is a direct copy and paste.

This is the original guide:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Fake-Coach-Serial-Numbers-NT-4903-and-more?ugid=10000000002744619
 
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#9,315
Spoiledlttleldy said:
This was a yard sale find. I would like to know if it's authentic or not. Thank you very much.
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It seems to be okay.
giagnm said:
Please authenticate. TIA!

Item: New Coach Brass Purse Charm Cute!!!!!
Listing number: 160778544702
Seller: taylorblair98
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160778544702?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Item: COACH AUTHENTIC HOBO IN GREAT CONDITION
Listing number: 260999063066
Seller: meldy5ph12
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/260999063066?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
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I don't believe the keychain is authentic but please wait for confirmation. (I don't have it to compare.)

The bag is fake.
 
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