Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#15,785
Lake Effect said:
So I stalled out on a rehab I started last summer. And the time is right to pick it up again. I had a camel Bleeker I was calling "squashed" bag from the way it was shipped.
I was preoccupied with getting the leather to a softer condition and did not give enough diligence to the bottom of the bag to make sure the piping trim did not fold under while it was drying. If you have a bag in the Bleeker 930X family, you know what I mean.
So after even more lack of diligence after ignoring it in my rehab pile, it needed to be propped up for a photo!
View attachment 3963774 View attachment 3963775 So I was feeling motivated to dunk it and get the bottom reshaped so I could use it. Otherwise, it was going out. So at one point a while back , I was wondering if I should make a form from a gallon water bottle to help reshape the trim on the bottom. I dunked it and put it upside down on a bottle of laundry detergent to drain. The plastic from the water bottle was not rigid enough. I thought about what I could use to prop the edges. I thought about what people propped open bags with to get better pics of the inside. I opened my kitchen drawer and there it was, a straw! Just what I needed!
View attachment 3963773
Click to expand...
How creative you are!!!!
 
#15,788
Belicious said:
Do you guys think the black spots on this bag could be mold damage? Or just dirty. Is it rehabbable?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/581249501/reserved-red-coach-courier-pre-creed-bag
Click to expand...
The more I think about this, the more it worries me. I wish @RL Bernstein would take a look. I've never seen a vintage Coach look like this. It looks like someone made it without any knowledge of how to make a purse. Even very early styles have piping rather than just seamed edges. Have you ever seen an inset zipper like that on a vintage bag? None of my vintage bags even have a zipper pocket. When Coach started using zippers in pockets, they went end to end. The zipper looks too new.

ETA: The seller has other fakes listed.
 
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#15,789
whateve said:
The more I think about this, the more it worries me. I wish @RL Bernstein would take a look. I've never seen a vintage Coach look like this. It looks like someone made it without any knowledge of how to make a purse. Even very early styles have piping rather than just seamed edges. Have you ever seen an inset zipper like that on a vintage bag? None of my vintage bags even have a zipper pocket. When Coach started using zippers in pockets, they went end to end. The zipper looks too new.

ETA: The seller has other fakes listed.
Click to expand...
I agree that the bag is strange. It almost has a "Frankenstein" character, as if it were pieced together from salvaged parts.
 
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#15,790
whateve said:
The more I think about this, the more it worries me. I wish @RL Bernstein would take a look. I've never seen a vintage Coach look like this. It looks like someone made it without any knowledge of how to make a purse. Even very early styles have piping rather than just seamed edges. Have you ever seen an inset zipper like that on a vintage bag? None of my vintage bags even have a zipper pocket. When Coach started using zippers in pockets, they went end to end. The zipper looks too new.

ETA: The seller has other fakes listed.
Click to expand...
Catbird9 said:
I agree that the bag is strange. It almost has a "Frankenstein" character, as if it were pieced together from salvaged parts.
Click to expand...

Wow okay... I never even noticed that about the zipper. I was wandering if the stitching was coming undone in parts where the strap meets the bag, that was also worrying me as well as the dark spots. I'm going to back out of this reservation.
 
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#15,793
Belicious said:
Do you guys think the black spots on this bag could be mold damage? Or just dirty. Is it rehabbable?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/581249501/reserved-red-coach-courier-pre-creed-bag
Click to expand...

whateve said:
The more I think about this, the more it worries me. I wish @RL Bernstein would take a look. I've never seen a vintage Coach look like this. It looks like someone made it without any knowledge of how to make a purse. Even very early styles have piping rather than just seamed edges. Have you ever seen an inset zipper like that on a vintage bag? None of my vintage bags even have a zipper pocket. When Coach started using zippers in pockets, they went end to end. The zipper looks too new.

ETA: The seller has other fakes listed.
Click to expand...
Aha! So is it on reserve for you Belicious? I'll volunteer that I placed this bag on my watch list when it first appeared months ago and was thinking I might be tempted should the price get <$80. If it's now off-the-table, then another temptation avoided. Candidly, it's not a design that resonates with me, so I won't be too bothered. Now if we were discussing yesterday's giveaway, where my slow fingers once again failed me, the topic of regret would be another story ( https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-Coach-Purse-5a8771a62c705da1b07f3c32 ). Why don't I ever get bargains like this?!!!

As to the two separate queries involving rehab and authenticity, I'll offer the following suggestions: In my book, almost anything (short of torn or gouged leather (unless one is game to replace entire panels) or leather that has dried past the point of no return) can be rehabbed. It just depends on the amount of effort and resources you're willing to invest and acceptance of the results that are realistically achievable. I doubt that the marks that appear to be shown on this particular bag are due to mold. More likely staining, scuffing, and resultant discoloration from being used hard and stored improperly (as evidenced by the dents in the leather). I suspect that it probably needs to be stripped down and recolored if one wished to bring it back to almost-new condition. And even then, the ability to achieve color uniformity remains questionable and depends on how the various stains react to treatment.

Relative to authenticity, this particular design came up not too long ago and I offered the opinion that it appeared to be a later version of what was called a Holster Bag. Not the original BC design of that name (which was worn about the waist), but a rendition that came afterwards. I'll provide you with links to the relevant posts for your reference...

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...oach-item-name-questions-here.355205/page-829
(Post #12432)

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...oach-item-name-questions-here.355205/page-831
(Post #12454)

I hope that you find the provided input either helpful, or at least informative.

ETA: I was just thinking about the number of unlined styles that were introduced during the end of the "black metal tag" period, and there appear to have been 20+. Many of those were short-lived and a number of others subjected to design evolutions. Only the #9170 Classic Pouch stands out as an iconic COACH design that remained unaltered from these initial releases.
 
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#15,794
RL Bernstein said:
Aha! So is it on reserve for you Belicious? I'll volunteer that I placed this bag on my watch list when it first appeared months ago and was thinking I might be tempted should the price get <$80. If it's now off-the-table, then another temptation avoided. Candidly, it's not a design that resonates with me, so I won't be too bothered. Now if we were discussing yesterday's giveaway, where my slow fingers once again failed me, the topic of regret would be another story ( https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-Coach-Purse-5a8771a62c705da1b07f3c32 ). Why don't I ever get bargains like this?!!!

As to the two separate queries involving rehab and authenticity, I'll offer the following suggestions: In my book, almost anything (short of torn or gouged leather (unless one is game to replace entire panels) or leather that has dried past the point of no return) can be rehabbed. It just depends on the amount of effort and resources you're willing to invest and acceptance of the results that are realistically achievable. I doubt that the marks that appear to be shown on this particular bag are due to mold. More likely staining, scuffing, and resultant discoloration from being used hard and stored improperly (as evidenced by the dents in the leather). I suspect that it probably needs to be stripped down and recolored if one wished to bring it back to almost-new condition. And even then, the ability to achieve color uniformity remains questionable and depends on how the various stains react to treatment.

Relative to authenticity, this particular design came up not too long ago and I offered the opinion that it appeared to be a later version of what was called a Holster Bag. Not the original BC design of that name (which was worn about the waist), but a rendition that came afterwards. I'll provide you with links to the relevant posts for your reference...

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...oach-item-name-questions-here.355205/page-829
(Post #12432)

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...oach-item-name-questions-here.355205/page-831
(Post #12454)

I hope that you find the provided input either helpful, or at least informative.
Click to expand...

It was on hold for me yes, I offered her $90 and she accepted it. But then I was looking at it and wondering if $100 was too much risk for all the black spots some of which might be ink or who knows what. Also I think some of the stitching is torn on the strap. It's always hard to make an accurate judgement when looking at pictures online. I would be able to know if I wanted it or not if I were touching it, smelling it etc. Anyway, she was fine about me backing out of it and put her price back up to what it was I guess.

Thanks for the interesting details about the bag. Perhaps one day I will find one in better shape with my name on it. I really do have quite a few red vintage bags already I confess ;)
 
#15,795
RL Bernstein said:
Aha! So is it on reserve for you Belicious? I'll volunteer that I placed this bag on my watch list when it first appeared months ago and was thinking I might be tempted should the price get <$80. If it's now off-the-table, then another temptation avoided. Candidly, it's not a design that resonates with me, so I won't be too bothered. Now if we were discussing yesterday's giveaway, where my slow fingers once again failed me, the topic of regret would be another story ( https://poshmark.com/listing/Vintage-Coach-Purse-5a8771a62c705da1b07f3c32 ). Why don't I ever get bargains like this?!!!

As to the two separate queries involving rehab and authenticity, I'll offer the following suggestions: In my book, almost anything (short of torn or gouged leather (unless one is game to replace entire panels) or leather that has dried past the point of no return) can be rehabbed. It just depends on the amount of effort and resources you're willing to invest and acceptance of the results that are realistically achievable. I doubt that the marks that appear to be shown on this particular bag are due to mold. More likely staining, scuffing, and resultant discoloration from being used hard and stored improperly (as evidenced by the dents in the leather). I suspect that it probably needs to be stripped down and recolored if one wished to bring it back to almost-new condition. And even then, the ability to achieve color uniformity remains questionable and depends on how the various stains react to treatment.

Relative to authenticity, this particular design came up not too long ago and I offered the opinion that it appeared to be a later version of what was called a Holster Bag. Not the original BC design of that name (which was worn about the waist), but a rendition that came afterwards. I'll provide you with links to the relevant posts for your reference...

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...oach-item-name-questions-here.355205/page-829
(Post #12432)

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...oach-item-name-questions-here.355205/page-831
(Post #12454)

I hope that you find the provided input either helpful, or at least informative.
Click to expand...
Thank you. What do you think about the pocket zipper? Have you seen inset zippers like that in other bags from the same era? They are noticeably absent from bags with creeds until sometime in the 2000s.
 
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