Now this one was a CHALLENGE! A mid-80s Courier Pouch #8920, I purchased her in 2005 probably at a Goodwill here in Florida for $19.99. Gave her to my sister who maybe only used her a few times...before she relocated to Washington state! In September she offered to send her back to me and of course I said yes! I remembered her being much larger, but now is a good size for me.
This bag had always had a rather distressed look about her, but I figured a bath and lots of conditioner would help. YIKES! There was damage to the piping on the strap and other areas as well. These are the befores on the AT thread:
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-763164-164.html#post22904281
I started with a paste of vinegar and baking soda on the brass to try to eliminate verdigris. Scrubbed it with a toothbrush and mproved it, but still a little hint of green showing.
Gave her a good warm soak and scrub with Dawn Extra, even turned her inside out! Rinsed and stuffed with towels to dry. The drier she got, the more she felt like, uh, cardboard, so I started Leather CPR. LOTS of Leather CPR and massaging. In all, she got four rounds (I usually go around twice)! Aahh, starting to feel like leather again. Two rounds of Blackrocks, buffing with microfiber cloth and shes really looking good.
Now for the piping problems...My hubby has this stuff called butyl rubber, often used as caulk and sometimes in chewing gum (!). As it remains flexible after drying, he thought it might be good for patching the strap, so he rolled some up and filled in the V-shaped cut. We let it cure for a couple of days and seemed to stay in place.
Then I remembered a tube of Acrylic Gel Medium in my paint box since college (amazingly still usable...college was a LOOOONG time ago LOL). Its used with acrylic pigments to produce a variety of effects (
http://www.ehow.com/about_4680995_what-gel-medium.html). In essence, its transparent acrylic paint! It worked very well in patching the other piping. It adhered well and remains flexible. (Theres a photo of it with my Worth Bag rehab...I used it to fix the zipper pull.) I also painted over the butyl rubber on the strap with it to seal it and make sure it was paint-able. I let the patches sit a couple of days before I painted. I used a mixture of brown, black and red acrylics to cover the patches and Im pretty satisfied with the outcome.
I used Brasso to finish off the buckles and Im done! Phew...what a labor of love. Cant wait to send the after pics to my sister...she may just want her back!
The really bad parts are these side fittings and the hooks on the straps. May dunk the bag tomorrow then give it another try.
Good luck and be sure to post pictures!
The seller did not tell me all these and I was a little disappointed but she is still a gorgeous beauty. 
