AUTHENTICATE this COACH

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#5,686
I know there isn't a lot of authentication for these older guys... I just sent this to Jed/Archives and I'll update when I get more info! I also added this to the ID thread.

http://sacsmagnifiques.blogspot.com/2013/09/new-acquisition-1950s-coach-travel-bag.html

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#5,689
Hyacinth said:
Not necessarily - there's always going to be a color or style that none of us have seen before, and we need to see more than an odd color to say something's fake. We need to see the details of the bag, the creed and the serial number first. Color can be a red flag but it takes solid details to prove that something's real or fake. And don't forget, someone may have just re-dyed the bag a non-stock color. I've seen at least one vintage leather bag that was re-dyed in a pastel color but the dye job was pretty obvious.

Remember too what I said in my first answer - there can be a HUGE difference in the actual color of a bag and what comes out in a digital image (older chemical-and-paper photos were actually a lot more accurate and consistent in showing colors correctly). Too much or too little lighting and whether the lighting is natural daylight, direct or indirect sunlight, flourescent, incandescent, all make a big difference. And most phones especially older ones just are NOT designed to be accurate cameras - anyone who wants their photos to really show their items correctly should use a full-feature camera, not a phone. Sellers can also drastically change the appearance of a color with their photo program settings. So NEVER depend on a color to be just as it's shown on your screen. I can't tell you how many times I felt my heart flutter at the sight of a beautiful purple Coach in an Ebay listing, only to find out after reading the description that it was actually brown.

Coach did a yearly Resort collection for a while in the 90s, and also did a few special and exclusive colors for some of their large department store partners, in fact they still do. So there's always a tiny chance that a unique color might have been used in a genuine bag.
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Ooh I see. Thanks so much for the advice!
I did get the seller to post a picture of the creed... M4N-4154, which I believe is most definitely a fake (yes?). It makes me really super sad. The color is so pretty, too... She did confirm the color was quite accurate. I'm going to go ask coach to make a court in that color now. Excuse me... ;)
 

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#5,690
What can you tell me about this listing? I was wondering if it was one of the lightweight collection from the early 90's because of the nylon zipper. I remember Whateve saying once that they were difficult to rehab (at least the lighter colors). Thanks.

Desc. Coach Women's Brown Leather Shoulder Bag
Seller: alcyonsattic
Item no. 390658620064
Link: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/390658620064

Thanks in advance.
 
#5,691
Sonnet34 said:
Ooh I see. Thanks so much for the advice!
I did get the seller to post a picture of the creed... M4N-4154, which I believe is most definitely a fake (yes?). It makes me really super sad. The color is so pretty, too... She did confirm the color was quite accurate. I'm going to go ask coach to make a court in that color now. Excuse me... ;)
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Yes, that serial number is ALWAYS fake, no exceptions. The style code hasn't been found yet on any genuine bag, and the entire number has shown up in dozens of completely different styles. The font of the serial number is too thick, and you can tell from the marking around the number that the whole number was stamped as one unit, which wasn't the way Coach did things in the mid-90s. The N plant code also needs more investigating but it was usually used only for Mexico a few years later.

Coach has done a lot of Mint Green bags recently, you might want to check the Factory Stores if you have one within easy driving distance.
 
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#5,692
fuzzymummy said:
What can you tell me about this listing? I was wondering if it was one of the lightweight collection from the early 90's because of the nylon zipper. I remember Whateve saying once that they were difficult to rehab (at least the lighter colors). Thanks.

Desc. Coach Women's Brown Leather Shoulder Bag
Seller: alcyonsattic
Item no. 390658620064
Link: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/390658620064

Thanks in advance.
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It IS from the Lightweight line, Light Tote from the late 1980s, but this one doesn't have nylon zippers. It still has the industrial-style brass zippers Coach used for most of the 1980s. Wait for Whateve for rehab advice.
 
#5,693
Hyacinth said:
Yes, that serial number is ALWAYS fake, no exceptions. The style code hasn't been found yet on any genuine bag, and the entire number has shown up in dozens of completely different styles. The font of the serial number is too thick, and you can tell from the marking around the number that the whole number was stamped as one unit, which wasn't the way Coach did things in the mid-90s. The N plant code also needs more investigating but it was usually used only for Mexico a few years later.

Coach has done a lot of Mint Green bags recently, you might want to check the Factory Stores if you have one within easy driving distance.
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Thanks so much, Hyacinth! :D :D The seller insists that her grandmother purchased the bag in 1977... Which also makes no sense because if we are to read the serial number, the bag should have been made in 1994. Sad face. I'm trying to convince her to take the listing down but doing it in a polite way is very difficult! Thanks again for the help!
 
#5,695
Sonnet34 said:
Thanks so much, Hyacinth! :D :D The seller insists that her grandmother purchased the bag in 1977... Which also makes no sense because if we are to read the serial number, the bag should have been made in 1994. Sad face. I'm trying to convince her to take the listing down but doing it in a polite way is very difficult! Thanks again for the help!
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It might be a good idea to just report it yourself so someone else doesn't get taken in by the listing.
 
#5,696
fuzzymummy said:
It might be a good idea to just report it yourself so someone else doesn't get taken in by the listing.
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It's a listing on Tradesy. If I could just figure out how to report it, I would... :( Does anyone know? It's this one: http://www.tradesy.com/Bags/coach-vintage-leather-suede-retro-cross-body-bag-turquoise-346939
I would have posted a full link to the listing earlier but I didn't think it was necessary because you can't see it if you don't have an account there!

EDIT: Oh, I figured out how to report! Yay! I'm going to contact the seller one more time and then report if she refuses to take it down. Thanks again <3
 
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#5,697
Sonnet34 said:
Thanks so much, Hyacinth! :D :D The seller insists that her grandmother purchased the bag in 1977... Which also makes no sense because if we are to read the serial number, the bag should have been made in 1994. Sad face. I'm trying to convince her to take the listing down but doing it in a polite way is very difficult! Thanks again for the help!
Click to expand...

Sonnet34 said:
It's a listing on Tradesy. If I could just figure out how to report it, I would... :( Does anyone know? It's this one: http://www.tradesy.com/Bags/coach-vintage-leather-suede-retro-cross-body-bag-turquoise-346939
I would have posted a full link to the listing earlier but I didn't think it was necessary because you can't see it if you don't have an account there!

EDIT: Oh, I figured out how to report! Yay! I'm going to contact the seller one more time and then report if she refuses to take it down. Thanks again <3
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You might also want to refer the seller, Patricia R. here.

If she's an honest seller, maybe she'll be amenable to an education.

BTW, that's a strange listing -- albeit absolutely fake anyway.
1. Her picture as posted by you looks mint green
2. Her title states the color as blue
3. Her pictures 2 and 3 look white or ivory
4. Her creed picture looks blue
5. The hangtag in picture #1 looks different from the hangtag in picture #2. Are these pictures all the same bag?


Seller Patricia R.'s Closet
 
#5,698
Sonnet34 said:
Ooh I see. Thanks so much for the advice!
I did get the seller to post a picture of the creed... M4N-4154, which I believe is most definitely a fake (yes?). It makes me really super sad. The color is so pretty, too... She did confirm the color was quite accurate. I'm going to go ask coach to make a court in that color now. Excuse me... ;)
Click to expand...
Coach didn't make classics in fun colors like these but they did make a few small bags and accessories in a similar color in the mid 90s. I have a small Legacy flap in aqua, which actually looks more like mint.
 

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#5,699
Hi, can someone look at this listing. I'm always attracted to the Sonoma style. This one is supposedly lime green and I just wondered, based on Hyacinth's recent posts regarding off beat colors, whether this was authentic. The creeds are so hard to read on Sonomas and this one is no exception plus it's really wonky.

Desc. Coach Lime Green Women's handbag
Seller: mybabusk
Item no. 111170844558
Link: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/111170844558

Thanks in advance.
 
#5,700
fuzzymummy said:
What can you tell me about this listing? I was wondering if it was one of the lightweight collection from the early 90's because of the nylon zipper. I remember Whateve saying once that they were difficult to rehab (at least the lighter colors). Thanks.

Desc. Coach Women's Brown Leather Shoulder Bag
Seller: alcyonsattic
Item no. 390658620064
Link: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/390658620064

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I've had some problems rehabbing lightweights. They tended to fade and spot easily. But the leather is so soft. The last bag I did was a faded blue. I touched up the trim but left the rest of the bag alone because I didn't want to do anything that might change the softness of the leather. The bag in the listing looks to be in great condition.
 
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