AUTHENTICATE this COACH!

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#7,966
whateve said:
There's nothing wrong with either of those designs. When Coach first started using signature, there was only one type of C pattern, and in that one the Cs touch. Over the years, Coach has made many different C patterns. When authenticating, you should only compare the pattern to known authentic versions of the same style.
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Thank you, mystery solved!
 
#7,967
maramd said:
I have a question. As I browse eBay looking at all the Coach bag styles for sale, occasionally I will notice bags where the C's in the signature pattern do not touch. Aren't the C's supposed to touch? Attached are some examples of non-touching C bags.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-COACH-R...898?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item4adda8b86a

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COACH-Large...836?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item3f3e2820a4
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whateve said:
There's nothing wrong with either of those designs. When Coach first started using signature, there was only one type of C pattern, and in that one the Cs touch. Over the years, Coach has made many different C patterns. When authenticating, you should only compare the pattern to known authentic versions of the same style.
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To add to Whateve's comments about the bags and patterns you questioned, I want to add that even if a bag has the original signature pattern and even if those Cs "touch," that is not "proof" that the bag is authentic.

Every listing, every bag, every creed and every other detail needs to be examined and judged on its own merits.

I know there are guides that will tell you that "all authentic signature bags have Cs that touch." With the exception of the "Coach made in Korea" rule, there are no always/never rules that apply to Coach.
 
#7,968
Fashionstar101 said:
Hi I was wondering if you could take a look at this. I just bought it on a wim. Made in NYC which always interests me. Is this authentic? What is the style? Time frame it was made? Also what is the color? The seller says green gray.. Which I'm not sure was a color back then!? Is it really dried out black? Or is it an olive color? Plmk! What you guys think! Thank you so much! And thank you guys for authenticating my other posts. I don't always get to thank you, but I do really appreciate it!:)

Listing: http://m.ebay.com/itm/151429302303?nav
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It's actually a briefcase called a Metropolitan Brief Bag, style number 5180. It's hard to be sure of the color for a lot of reasons - cameras and camera settings can be inaccurate, leather can fade, and we really don't know what year it was made and Coach changed some colors every year or two, and sometimes during the year as the seasons changed, and there isn't a complete library of color charts.

The kind of lighting and the colors around the bag such as walls, or the background colors also can affect the way a color photographs. The Hot Pink and green colors around that bag can do funny things to the way the color appears, which is why bags should really be photographed against white or neutral backgrounds. Even Coach's colors in the catalogs might not be accurate. That's why I don't try and guess colors from photographs but if someone else wants to try they're more than welcome. Often the color on the inside is closer to what the human eye sees than the outside color

EDITED to correct a booboo - it was made some time between the early 1980s and 1987. Which makes me think the color might be Sage, which is an early 1980s shade - check the color sample pages posted at the "Coach Frequently Asked Questions {FAQ} & REFERENCE INFO" thread here in the Coach Reference Library forum:
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-re...and-reference-info-158400-3.html#post21068477

But that's just a guess.
 
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#7,969
#7,970
thecollector629 said:
Hi - Can someone check on these bags for me, all the same style.
Thank you.

1. Ebay #251067693680
Seller: buyxgift
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-COA...680?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item3a74ccfa70

2. Ebay #321542708884
Seller: taigedale
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/COACH-9206-...884?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item4add705e94

3. Ebay #400772012213
Seller: consignwithusnow
Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/COACH-TAN-S...213?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item5d4fdf98b5
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They're all genuine. It's a Fortune Cookie Suede Bag.
 
#7,974
BeenBurned said:
Unfortunately, we don't recommend buying from sellers in the Philippines because we've seen many fakes that are often difficult for a non-expert to identify as such.

In the case of the listings you've posted, even if I felt comfortable with those bags, I can't recommend the sellers.

As with many Filippino sellers, they manipulate the brand names, spelling of brands, uses keywords and abbreviations to get additional search exposure and otherwise add to their exposure to list items in ways that keep them under the radar.

For example, the first seller, chatterbucks2008 has a listing for an LV bag in which she uses "VUITTONs" in the title, presumably to avoid having her listing scrutinized by VeRO (the manufacturer) or those who know the brand.

The other seller, mamamiabags14 has listings with "C" or "CC" as the brand for Coach, blurry pictures and comments that imply that listings may have been flagged in the past. In this listing, note how she (purposely?) shows an illegible creed, thus making it very difficult to authenticate. (Perhaps someone else can look at this listing!)
http://www.ebay.ph/itm/AUTH-C-LEATH...3?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_211&hash=item2341f942cb

mamamiabags14 also has a "Prada" bag described as "P," Gucci bag without a brand indication and many other questionable listings.

I apologize, but I recommend buyers from the Philippines avoid sellers in their country.
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Thank you BeenBurned. I prefer buying straight from the store because I have seen so many bad fakes (CCs that look GGs) and super fakes (Prada in real croc leather) sold in bazaars, but in my area, our high end store carries very few premium & contemporary designer brands and Coach not one of them :sad:

On ebay.ph, there are a few listings and sellers selling authentic items as authenticated here in PF but there are also sellers selling both real and fake also authenticated here in PF, and finally sellers, that have 100% ratings that are selling fakes and only posting stock photos. I also see listings described as Coaches not sure if this is correct like the old/ vintage Burberrys before they updated it to Burberry.
 
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#7,975
Hyacinth said:
I think the listing with the blurry creed mentioned by BeenBurned near the end of her reply
is a genuine Janice's Legacy made in China in 2007 for the Factory Outlet stores.
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Thank you for checking Hyacinth! :smile1:

Hyacinth said:
I agree, especially when the seller plays those games with VeRO by trying to disguise the actual name of the manufacturer. That tells me that they've been restricted in listing Coach products, probably because they've already been reported for selling fakes or because Ebay.ph. does it automatically.
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I was browsing here in PF and found a Gucci listing (ebay.ph) that was verified as fake together with another Gucci (same seller) that was verified as authentic. So I reported the fake to eBay, it disappeared for a day then resurfaced the next day. I am not sure how ebay.ph deals with that but it's sad.

Also, I see your signature on the YKK zipper.. I have wondered why all the rage for YKK zips (recently perhaps? because of China maybe?) for branded designers when YKK zips are a dime a dozen here (literally, you can buy just the zip in the clothing store) and they have been used (for so long) from cheap to outlet designer brands- ex. Levi's w/ Levi's zip is 3-5x more expensive vs Levi's w/ YKK zip but both are directly are sold in Levi's store. I got one in college and my friend asked about the zip then laughed at the YKK zip... Needles to say, I now check if I'm getting the Levi's zip :p
 
#7,976
accurls said:
Thank you BeenBurned. I prefer buying straight from the store because I have seen so many bad fakes (CCs that look GGs) and super fakes (Prada in real croc leather) but in my area, our high end store carries very few premium & contemporary designer brands and Coach not one of them :sad:

On ebay.ph, there are a few listings and sellers selling authentic items as authenticated here in PF but there are also sellers selling both real and fake also authenticated here in PF, and finally sellers, that have 100% ratings that are selling fakes and only posting stock photos. I also see listings described as Coaches not sure if this is correct like the old/ vintage Burberrys before they updated it to Burberry.
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It's not the GGs we're concerned with because those fakes should be obvious.

It's the superfakes that we've seen here (on the Coach subforum) but I suspect that they've been posted on the other brand subforums too.

I'm concerned because some of the bags deemed as authentic in other brands could very well be superfakes, just as those we've seen here were. If the authenticators don't look really carefully at the tiniest details, it's easy to err and deem a fake as authentic.

I'm sorry you don't have access to the brands you're looking for but even if it costs you more, you're better off buying from the US. (I'm assuming that your postal system isn't as corrupt as the designer handbags in your country. Otherwise, you might buy from here and have it "lost" in the mail.)
 
#7,978
BeenBurned said:
It's not the GGs we're concerned with because those fakes should be obvious.

It's the superfakes that we've seen here (on the Coach subforum) but I suspect that they've been posted on the other brand subforums too.

I'm concerned because some of the bags deemed as authentic in other brands could very well be superfakes, just as those we've seen here were. If the authenticators don't look really carefully at the tiniest details, it's easy to err and deem a fake as authentic.

I'm sorry you don't have access to the brands you're looking for but even if it costs you more, you're better off buying from the US. (I'm assuming that your postal system isn't as corrupt as the designer handbags in your country. Otherwise, you might buy from here and have it "lost" in the mail.)
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The bad and super fakes I saw were being sold at bazaars. Bad ones go for 10-20$ and supers start at 100$.

The postal system is ok but takes a month (sometimes 2, no tax just a 1$ service fee) but I now only use it for buying cosmetics and would not choose any branded/ fast shipping option because usually it would get taxed- I once got some fashion accessories worth 200$ and got taxed 100$ :cray: This is the same for electronics. My friend was gifted an iPad by her DH and Fedex taxed her 150$. I would think that designer bags would raise a red flag with the tax collectors too. It would be best for me to either fly to Manila (lots of designer shops) and buy at an obvious price gap (high tax and import fees) or off to Hong Kong (cheaper)/ Singapore (tourists get a tax refund)/ Malaysia (cheapest LV in Asia, they say) or ask my frequent US flyer friends to get one for me! :D
 
#7,979
BeenBurned said:
To add to Whateve's comments about the bags and patterns you questioned, I want to add that even if a bag has the original signature pattern and even if those Cs "touch," that is not "proof" that the bag is authentic.

Every listing, every bag, every creed and every other detail needs to be examined and judged on its own merits.

I know there are guides that will tell you that "all authentic signature bags have Cs that touch." With the exception of the "Coach made in Korea" rule, there are no always/never rules that apply to Coach.
Click to expand...


Thanks! You ladies are awesome! Very, very much appreciate all you do!
 
#7,980
Fashionstar101 said:
Hi guys, I have this orange courier that I would like to rehab. As I was looking through it I noticed it has a very different zipper that a lot of the other NYC bags I have. I am pretty sure it is authentic, but I never hurts to check! Thanks!!
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Coincidentally, today my Classic Pouch was delivered. It too has a different zipper from my other NYC bags including two other Classic Pouches.

It doesn't look as if it has been replaced as that would have required unpicking and re-sewing the side seams as well as the zipper, and there is no sign of that.
 

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