Vintage Coach Photos & Chat

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#6,377
whateve said:
Someone asked about this bag in the AT thread: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151869806771?ru=http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=151869806771&_rdc=1
It's an unknown Dakota style. This is at least the 4th one we have seen. Coach archives have no record of this style.

Also, I saw a movie from the 40s last night and the costume designer was Bonnie Cashin. It was Nightmare Alley with Tyrone Power. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039661/
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I looked on Youtube and the movie is there. Why wouldn't archives have a record of a Coach bag?
 
#6,378
Catbird9 said:
Cool bag, made in Italy. Looks a lot like a Dooney & Bourke Equestrian.
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The Dakotas have a unique textured surface and partial pig suede lining. The Sheridans look even more like Dooneys.
Catbird9 said:
Fun find! I googled the film and found this two-piece sparkly "Electra" costume:
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In the movie, the local law was trying to shut down the show for that skimpy costume. They claimed that she had to wear that since she handled electricity and anything else would ignite.
oldbaglover said:
I looked on Youtube and the movie is there. Why wouldn't archives have a record of a Coach bag?
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someone here sent pictures to the archivist and he said it could have been a sample. We're pretty sure it wasn't a sample since a few tpfers have the same bag and now there's this one.

Coach didn't keep good records in the old days. Then they hired an archivist and he has collected samples of their old bags.
 
#6,379
oldbaglover said:
I looked on Youtube and the movie is there. Why wouldn't archives have a record of a Coach bag?
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whateve said:
The Dakotas have a unique textured surface and partial pig suede lining. The Sheridans look even more like Dooneys.

In the movie, the local law was trying to shut down the show for that skimpy costume. They claimed that she had to wear that since she handled electricity and anything else would ignite.

someone here sent pictures to the archivist and he said it could have been a sample. We're pretty sure it wasn't a sample since a few tpfers have the same bag and now there's this one.

Coach didn't keep good records in the old days. Then they hired an archivist and he has collected samples of their old bags.
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I doubt very much if they even saved many, if any, examples of previous styles, the only records they had were probably some production records or notes on paper, and maybe their catalog files. And isn't the Archive located in the old original factory building? There probably wasn't any room for an archive back when the NYC production facilities were still active. Later in the 1990s between moving production to China, repurposing the old plant as the corporate offices, and putting only what they considered "important" records on their computer system, there's probably a good-sized chunk of Coach history that's been lost.

I've seen it mentioned often on Antiques Roadshow. When a company makes changes in purpose or ownership or just moves their offices or plant to a new location, a lot of old paperwork and production samples including important company history are simply tossed in the dumpster or on the bonfire. It wouldn't surprise me if Coach did something similar. Saving their history is something that many companies (AND cities, Chicago being a perfect example!) have only started to consider doing in the last decade or two.

I'm sure the "missing" Dakota style would have been style number 4202 since that's the only number I can't account for. There's a debate on what name we should call it though. (Hey, we tPF'ers named the Baby Sage so why shouldn't we be allowed to name a nameless Dakota that we "discovered"?) My personal choice would be Sundance, since we already have a Dakota Cassidy and I think the Sundance Kid deserves equal time, even if my heart will always belong to Paul Newman. But Robert Redford made such a GORGEOUS Sundance Kid. :hbeat:
 
#6,381
I've got a question about the elusive vintage Coach "Penny" purse that was discussed yesterday over on the AT thread. I've frequently seen the name used incorrectly by sellers of Pocket Purses.

Hyacinth said:
Don't EVER expect sellers to know OR use the correct name of a bag. OR when it was made, OR who designed it, OR how rare it is.

9755 has never been a Penny, and I don't care what sellers call it, they can call it a Flying Purple People Eater if they want to. Coach calls it a Pocket Purse, see the catalog picture below. Except for a very recent remake, Coach hasn't made a "Penny" for about 35 years. There are none in any catalogs dated after 1981 and maybe even earlier.
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Do you Hyacinth, or anyone else, have a picture of an original Penny Purse/Bag? I'd love to see what it looked like, compared to the Coach Legacy Leather Penny Shoulder (pic below).


Thanks!
 

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#6,382
Catbird9 said:
I've got a question about the elusive vintage Coach "Penny" purse that was discussed yesterday over on the AT thread. I've frequently seen the name used incorrectly by sellers of Pocket Purses.



Do you Hyacinth, or anyone else, have a picture of an original Penny Purse/Bag? I'd love to see what it looked like, compared to the Coach Legacy Leather Penny Shoulder (pic below).


Thanks!
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It seems like there might have been 2 versions. The original one had an unusual strap mounting, with grommets through the sides of the bag and the dogleash clip attached right through the grommets instead of through a D-ring or similar hardware. The later version added the tab-and-ring strap mounting we're much more familiar with.

There might have been 2 different sizes too but I have NO idea which one would have been called the Penny. There are only a few photos of them in my files. The reddish one might be a smaller version of the brown one but didn't have measurements posted. Whateve may have more information.
 

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#6,383
Hyacinth said:
It seems like there might have been 2 versions. The original one had an unusual strap mounting, with grommets through the sides of the bag and the dogleash clip attached right through the grommets instead of through a D-ring or similar hardware. The later version added the tab-and-ring strap mounting we're much more familiar with.

There might have been 2 different sizes too but I have NO idea which one would have been called the Penny. There are only a few photos of them in my files. The reddish one might be a smaller version of the brown one but didn't have measurements posted. Whateve may have more information.
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Beautiful, thank you!

Lovely patina on the reddish one.
 
#6,384
On the theme of very small bags, here's my new baby, a Shoulder Purse #9385. This is my second New York City bag. (I'm just getting started!)
 

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#6,387
Hyacinth said:
It seems like there might have been 2 versions. The original one had an unusual strap mounting, with grommets through the sides of the bag and the dogleash clip attached right through the grommets instead of through a D-ring or similar hardware. The later version added the tab-and-ring strap mounting we're much more familiar with.

There might have been 2 different sizes too but I have NO idea which one would have been called the Penny. There are only a few photos of them in my files. The reddish one might be a smaller version of the brown one but didn't have measurements posted. Whateve may have more information.
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Hi Hyacinth! I have a pre-creed reverse suede dinky made like this. It measures 9 x 5 x not quite 2. Could they have been the same thing?
 
#6,388
Hyacinth said:
It seems like there might have been 2 versions. The original one had an unusual strap mounting, with grommets through the sides of the bag and the dogleash clip attached right through the grommets instead of through a D-ring or similar hardware. The later version added the tab-and-ring strap mounting we're much more familiar with.

There might have been 2 different sizes too but I have NO idea which one would have been called the Penny. There are only a few photos of them in my files. The reddish one might be a smaller version of the brown one but didn't have measurements posted. Whateve may have more information.
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Beccabaglady said:
Hi Hyacinth! I have a pre-creed reverse suede dinky made like this. It measures 9 x 5 x not quite 2. Could they have been the same thing?
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Whateve would be the one to ask, or Tetondeb if she has a chance to stop in for a visit. I just don't have any personal experience with bags older than about 30 years, and always preferred larger styles anyway so the small bags just weren't on my radar. And catalogs from that time are really scarce and not much help.
 
#6,389

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#6,390
Catbird9 said:
This interesting bag sold a couple of weeks ago for $510, 13 bids. The two highest bids were more than twice the amount of the next lowest bid, and both were made by bidders with "private" feedback.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-Cashin-...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

The same bag has now been relisted for $249.95 BIN ($44.95 higher than the third underbidder in the original auction).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-Cashin-...ter-Buffalo-Leather-Purse-NICE-/301805092307?

:hrmm:
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Hmmmm... I'm smelling a definite aroma of Rattus norvegicus.
 
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