Coach Spotting the Fakes

Spotting counterfeit or replica Coach bags is difficult. Unfortunately there are no hard and fast rules that apply across the board. One myth is that all authentic Coach bags will have a creed patch with a number on it. This is simply not true. Many of the accessories that Coach makes have no creed or story patch, and as you read in the earlier article, some creed patches didn't have style numbers on them. It's pretty safe to assume that most, if not all, of your totes and larger bags will have a creed patch in them. Swingpacks, wristlets and smaller accessory type bags most likely will not. However, once again, this is not across the board because some of the smaller demi bags will have the creed patch inside. The bottom line is, the presence or lack of a creed patch is NOT an indicator of an authentic or replica bag. Concentrating on the presence of a creed patch in the bag, one now has to know what the numbers and letters stand for. Thjis was also covered in the last article .  

There are known fake numbers, much too numerous to list here, if you google you will find several resources that list a large percentage of them.  You'll never remember them all, so I'll give you some of the more common clues in creed patch numbers to keep in mind.

Any Coach item that has only 5 or fewer digits in the serial number, and / or is missing the “No” in front of the number, is almost 100 percent certain of being fake. If the creed also says “Made in Korea” it's fake, NO EXCEPTIONS. Every Coach made in or after 1994 will always have at least three digits in the first half of the number including a one or two-number year code in the center position. If there’s just a letter and a number, or only 2 letters and no number, the item is FAKE - no exceptions.

Serial numbers beginning with the letters N thru Z are not valid Coach numbers and are almost always fake. There are a few very rare exceptions for "N" so ask an expert.

A prefix of 3 LETTERS is always fake.  Bags made in 2000 will have a 0 so make sure that's what it is and not an O

This is only scratching the surface of counterfeit serial numbers.  The counterfeiters have also gotten good at using an authentic serial number, but on a completely different style bag.  You can google your style numbers to see if the bags match the one you're questioning, but again, that's not a foolproof method because it might be a popularly replicated bag.  And not finding a bag that matches doesn't necessarily mean it's fake either.

One hard and fast rule is that Signature style handbags will not  have signature C pattern linings.  Coach bags with signature patterns on the outside should have a solid interior lining or a Coach lozenge logo lining, not a C pattern lining.  Exceptions to this rule are  2 styles of the signature "wave" patterns that also have a signature C lining.  It should be noted that vintage Coach bags did not have linings.   

I think that's enough info to get you started.  As  you can probably see, it's not easy authenticating bags.  It takes a lot of time, a lot of knowledge and good resources to fall back on when you need an "expert" to authenticate your bag.  One great resource is The Purse Forum  the gals there are a wealth of knowledge and expertise.

Here is tonight's All Coach Partner Auction Raffle Entry: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And remember, you need to be present to win!  Also, don't forget to follow this blog to be entered into our monthly drawing!!!

The Mystery Revealed....The Coach Creed Patch

One of the most common topics of questioning from our first time buyers and even experienced Coach owners  is that of the Coach Creed Patch.  While it is a great tool at determining that you did in fact come across a wonderful authentic Coach bag, there are many misconceptions that hopefully can be clarified here with a little history on just what this patch tells you about your item!
Remember that not all Coach products will have a creed patch.  Many smaller items are not made with one and many are just not big enough for one as well.  The common misconception that all smaller items such as wristlets and swingpacks do not have them though is not the case.
Each style of item is assigned its own "style number" by Coach.  Bags made after 1994 are usually easy to find with a quick google search of the style number for quick comparision, although this is not a recommended method of determining authenticity of the bag itself.  It will help though with determining that the style number is the correct one for your bag. Older bags and lovely vintage finds will be a bit more difficult since the serial number on the creed was not introduced until the late 1960's to early 1970's.  Below is an example of what the first creed patches look like.  Note there is no style/serial number and the word leatherware is under the Coach name.  The lettering is all caps and includes "MADE IN NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A." as all Coach bags made at this time were produced in the Big Apple.

Then in the mid 70's-late 80's, Coach introduced serial numbers onto the creed patch, which were in the format "###-####."  This is also about the time period where Coach began producting their items in multiple locations, so you will notice the previous "MADE IN NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A." has been replaced with either "MADE IN U.S.A." or "MADE IN THE UNITED STATES."

 A switch in the format of the serial number came about in the late 80's.  Where before it was "###-####" now they became "####-###."

Around 1994, serial numbers stopped being unique to that particular bag and were given a more universal alpha-numerical format, "A#A-####."  The letters(in this case F & M) represent factory and manufacturing codes and the number in between(in this case "05") represents the year of manufacture.  So this example below would be an authentic creed with the style number 3577(Coach Signature Duffle Bag), and produced in the year 2005.

Around the time of this creed patch, double digits starting being used to represent the year and some style numbers included letters for a short period until they were expanded to be five digits (#####).  Bags began being produced in China as well, which is often cause for speculation of authenticiy since so many replicas are also made there.  

Bags produced exclusively for the Coach Factory stores have a letter F before their style number as well.  Prefixes representing the month and year of production were also introduced onto the creed patch.  So with the image above and using the chart below, we know also that the bag was produced in June, 2005.

Prefixes representing the month of manufacture:*Note that the letter "I" is not used

A-January

B-February

C-March

D-April

E- May

F-June

G-July

H-August

J-September

K-October

L-November

M-December

The zero for the year was not introduced until 2004, so you will never see the year codes of 00, 01, 02, or 03 on a creed patch.

Below is an authentic creed patch for a bag made exclusively for Coach Factory stores. Note the letter F before the 5 digit style number.

So now you're an expert on just what the Coach creed patch tells you about the bag!  Be sure and check back here for future articles about quick ways to spot a replica Coach and photos of ones that might surprise you with how authentic they appear, even to the seasoned "Coachie" eye!

And here's our auction raffle question for tonight's All Coach Partner Auction::

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A History of Coach - For The Love of Vintage

Coach was established in 1941 in Manhattan, New York.  At that time it was run by a small family who produced mainly wallets and billfolds.  In 1946 Miles Cahn joined the company, and by 1950 he was running the Coach factory.

Cahn was influenced by the durability of leather baseball gloves and subsequently began producing women's handbags our of cowhide.

In 1961 Cahn bought out Coach and in 1962 hired Bonnie Cashin who was known for her unconventional costumes for 20th Century Fox.  However, her personal esthetics were much more serene and this was something that she brought to the Coach brand.  She favored fun with function, and her signature striped madras cotton lined her bags.  Her designs were sleek and streamlined, very Mid Century Modern that has made a huge comeback recently.

Cashin can be credited with the swingpack design, a bag that was pared down to its most functional elements.  She then added a coin purse to the front of her bags and they were called Cashin Carry.  She introduced the shopping bag totes to Coach, as she herself carried a lot of books around and focussed on her bags fitting the modern woman's needs of something more than the ability to carry just lipstick and keys. Cashin left Coach in 1972.

In 1979 Lew Frankfort joined Coach and is the CEO today.  He credited with establishing Coach as the affordable luxury line between such high end designers as Fendi and Gucci and their knockoffs.

By the 1980's Coach went back to it's traditional leather designs, producing sturdy and sophisticated and briefcases  in blacks, browns, tan, and navy. But in 1993, former Tommy Hilfiger sportswear designer Reed Krakoff joined Coach, as the company expanded to outwear and luggage. Once again, the handbag line got new, modern colors and fun, young designs that were updated every season. Within a decade, Coach introduced the double “C” logo print, produced in a wide range of styles and colors.


Below are just a few examples of the vintage Coach bags we are featuring in our All Coach Auction tonight:

                                   Vintage Leather Lexington brief case

                     Coach Legacy Willis Messenger Bag # 9927 British Tan

Vintage Coach bags were made with a variety of leathers, but most common was what we've come to know as Glove-tanned leather. Vintage Coach is not quite the same as the purses today, because they used heavier leather cowhides. Each were truly handmade by individual artisans, including the overseas plants.  We will go into depth on the types of leathers used in a subsequent article.

And Here is our drawing for tonight: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway