Vintage Coach Question

A

ack150

Member
May 22, 2008
135
0
#1
I asked this question on the ebay boards, long before I knew about this board, but realized, I should repost it here. Unfortunately, I no longer have the pictures on hand - but I'm not sure they would help, anyway.

I own several older coach (all leather) bags - the Janice's (sp?) Legacy, and a brown flap bag, as well as a doctor's satchel - so I've come to recognize the quality of the older leather and the hardware that they use on their bags (even now). At a consignment shop, I picked up a black bag that had all the earmarks of being Coach - the hardware, the coach handtag, the feel and smell of the leather (I've gotten used to the odd looks in that store when I smell the bags - there must be someone in the area with an old Coach collection, every time I go in I find one - they generally need a little help, but I do love projects!). I believe the style would be a 'saddle' bag, with the brass buckles front-aligned on the bag, so that the strap hangs forward over the front flap of the bag. There is no other hardware on the front of the bag, and the flap goes all the way to the bottom of the bag (style 9988 is similar, except for the turnlock and the length of the flap itself).

Boy - this is a long post, and I've now gotten to the actual question! Thanks for hanging in there!

The bag doesn't have a creed - and no evidence of ever having had one (I know sometimes if the purse was washed, the leather can swell and obliterate the imprint). Are there instances of older bags not being stamped? I wouldn't say it was old enough to have had just the old 'coach' plate (and there are no marks on the leather that one was ever there), but I might be wrong.

Thanks so much!
 
#2
Most of your questions on authenticity can be handled by the Authenticate this thread but I would advise pictures for them to assist you with verifying any of your questions.
 
#3
ack150 said:
I asked this question on the ebay boards, long before I knew about this board, but realized, I should repost it here. Unfortunately, I no longer have the pictures on hand - but I'm not sure they would help, anyway.

I own several older coach (all leather) bags - the Janice's (sp?) Legacy, and a brown flap bag, as well as a doctor's satchel - so I've come to recognize the quality of the older leather and the hardware that they use on their bags (even now). At a consignment shop, I picked up a black bag that had all the earmarks of being Coach - the hardware, the coach handtag, the feel and smell of the leather (I've gotten used to the odd looks in that store when I smell the bags - there must be someone in the area with an old Coach collection, every time I go in I find one - they generally need a little help, but I do love projects!). I believe the style would be a 'saddle' bag, with the brass buckles front-aligned on the bag, so that the strap hangs forward over the front flap of the bag. There is no other hardware on the front of the bag, and the flap goes all the way to the bottom of the bag (style 9988 is similar, except for the turnlock and the length of the flap itself).

Boy - this is a long post, and I've now gotten to the actual question! Thanks for hanging in there!

The bag doesn't have a creed - and no evidence of ever having had one (I know sometimes if the purse was washed, the leather can swell and obliterate the imprint). Are there instances of older bags not being stamped? I wouldn't say it was old enough to have had just the old 'coach' plate (and there are no marks on the leather that one was ever there), but I might be wrong.

Thanks so much!
Click to expand...

There may have been a short period in the mid 70s when bags wouldn't have had a stamped creed, but without seeing the bag it's hard to say. Anything newer would have had a stamp somewhere in it.

Also it's possible that the bag you saw isn't a Coach and someone just stuck a hangtag on it to increase it's value or selling price. There were a surprising number of fakes made that were very good copies of the real thing.
 
#5
Here are pictures of the bag - other than the clasp and the buckles, there is no other hardware. Thanks for looking!

UnmarkedCoach.jpg


UnmarkedCoachOpen.jpg
 
#9
Hyacinth (love that, btw, I have this ridiculous urge to call you Mrs. Bouquet) - I wouldn't have thought this was old enough to fall in that period - hence my confusion. Unless someone got it and stuck it away, because it's pristine!

<and I'm out a grand total of $2 on this, so either way, I thought it was an interesting bag>
 
#11
I remember you asking that question but don't remember what answers you got. I love that bag though, I have to start going to the consignment/thrift stores and see if I get that lucky.

Is there anything stamped on the buckles?
 
#12
The answers I got went both ways as to its authenticity - I understand that it's impossible to be sure, but I was wondering if someone had an idea. I figured as this seemed to be the mecca of all Coach knowledge, asking couldn't hurt.

I have never scrutinized the buckles that closely, but I don't think there is anything on them - I will examine when I get home.
 
#14
From what I can see:

The strap buckles aren't right, there should be a triangular bit on the underside edges

AFAIK, Coach didn't start using the magnetic snaps until late 80s at the earliest (some experts say early 1990s), which is much too late for a real Coach to have been made without a creed stamp

The hangtag saying Coach Leatherware is a much older style than would have ever been used on a bag with a magnetic snap

I've never seen that brand of magnetic snap on a Coach

The ONLY thing on your bag that says Coach is the hangtag and we all know how easy that is to change

Sorry, but it's just a no-name brand (probably made in Korea) that someone stuck a Coach hangtag on. Save it and use it if you want, but please take off the fake hangtag
 
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