Authentic vs fake: A history of the Coach creed and serial #'s. - Page 3

boysRsmelly · December 29th, 2007, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TASTERS CHOICE

YES IT IS. THE BAG I HAVE ITS A LIGHT BLUE WITH THE STRAPS BEING DARKER AND GREEN ON THE INSIDE

I can't say 100% that the bag you have is authentic without actually seeing it... but it is highly likely that it is. The number matches the bag and it is a style that isn't normally faked.

TASTERS CHOICE · December 29th, 2007, 10:27 PM

my daughter has my camera but when she gets back all post the pictures thank you !!!!!
for ur in put

boysRsmelly · December 30th, 2007, 07:59 AM

You're welcome! Post the pics anytime!

schitte · December 30th, 2007, 11:28 AM

Thanks for the info. My wife is most pleased to find out that she found a real one on eBay. It's a nice addition to her collection.

Gorey · January 4th, 2008, 10:56 AM

Hey, everyone. So, I bought a coach at a secondhand store and tried to take pictures but my usb doesn't fit in the camera, so I have to do it this way. Apologies in advance!

the serial is no g2k-6042. wish i had a picture to give you.

May you help me? Or tell me to look up the serials?

:D

Thank you!

boysRsmelly · January 4th, 2008, 10:59 AM

That number belongs to a large signature tote.

Gorey · January 4th, 2008, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boysRsmelly

That number belongs to a large signature tote.

Great. I know nothing about Coach, so thanks I appreciate it!

Gorey · January 4th, 2008, 11:10 AM

I just wanted to ask to double check, can the large signature tote be gray with mini c's? That's why I wish I had a picture for it so I could show it to you.

Nevermind! After much research it's:

Coach Signature Market Tote, #6042, $258. Except it has smaller c's. hm.

OH WELL! I love it. hah.

GroovyGlamGirlz · January 17th, 2008, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margo

Hi there, There is some misinformation in the ebelle guide "How to spot a fake Coach bag" about some of the creeds and serial numbers. I have emailed Jennifer to let her know and I am posting the history of Coach creeds and serial #'s, for any person who is interested in older Coach bags and vintage Coach bags manufactured before the 1990s.

HISTORY OF COACH CREEDS & SERIAL NUMBERS.

The second and third photo of the creeds/serial #’s in the ebelle Coach guide which are labeled as fake are genuine pre-90s creeds/serial #’s.

In the 1960's Coach bags had either a metal identifier tag, or simple impression of the Coach logo, no creed no serial #'s.

Coach introduced the creed without any serial # sometime in the late 60's/early70s. The word "leatherwear" is under the word Coach and the wording of the creed at this time was all caps "THIS IS A COACH BAG. IT IS MADE OUT OF A COMPLETELY NATURAL GLOVE TANNED COWHIDE. THE SCARS, SCRATCHES, VEINS AND WRINKLES ARE NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FULL GRAIN LEATHERS". Under the creed is in all caps, "MADE IN NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A." ALL Coach bags made after the introduction of the creed and before serial #'s were introduced were made in NYC. Note that there are gaps in the creed in the lines describing the "scars, scratches, veins and wrinkles"

When Coach added serial numbers to the creed in the 1970's they were "all numbers" in the format "xxx-xxxx" as shown in the second photo in the ebelle list. The last four digits do not correspond to the style number, each bag had a unique number. The particular bag shown in photo 2 on the list was made in New York City. Coach ceased making bags in NYC in the mid 70's before there was such a thing as fakes or knock offs. NYC bags are vintage and rare.

This serial number format (all numbers, xxx-xxxx) is also on bags made in the United states, after Coach began manufacturing bags in multiple locations in the USA rather than NYC (sometime in the mid to late 70s). The wording of the creed is the same, except on the bottom it will say 'MADE IN THE UNITED STATES" OR "MADE IN U.S.A." Again the last four digits are not the style number, and the serial #’s were unique to each bag. There are a few styles with "MADE IN U.S.A" that have 8 in the serial number - all numbers, no dash, just a continuous string.

In the 1980's Coach changed the serial numbers to "all numbers" in the format xxxx-xxx. An example of this in the third photo in the ebelle guide. The last three numbers do not relate to the style number, again the serial #’s were apparently unique to each bag.

It was not until the 1990's that Coach introduced the modern registration format of letters and numbers, with the last four digits being the style number (or in the case of some of the newer bags after 2000, the last five digits). These registration numbers are not unique to each bag. The wording of the creed was also changed to all caps "THIS IS A COACH BAG. IT WAS HANDCRAFTED IN (country of origin) OF COMPLETELY NATURAL GLOVE-TANNED COWHIDE. THE VARIATIONS IN THE GRAIN ARE CHARACTERISTIC OF NATURAL FULL GRAIN LEATHER." There are no longer gaps between any of the words.

At the present time any one who reads the ebelle review here will think any bag for sale on an online auction site which was made pre 1990s and has the old serial number format, is fake, even the rare, vintage, made in New York City Bonnie Cashin designs. Hopefully Jennifer will get a chance to update the review soon.

If you would like photos of the 60's metal tag or impressed logo, or any of the pre-90s creeds and serial #'s please contact me. I would also be happy to share photos of knock-offs of Coach leather bags, including the classics, which are based on the bags from this pre-90s era, including photos of fake creeds and serial #’s.

I this post helps Coach classics and vintage bag collectors.

fyi - i own the real goodies STRAIGHT FROM COACH and the number of numbers/letters can change also for different years, so don't go by that alone. i would post a pic of my gold bag but i dunno how... my old vintage bag goes No-XXX-####, my new gold high end limited bag with bling hasn't got #'s, and the new red hobo goes No X####-X#####, and don't forget the outlets sell old models so don't freak out if they aren't what's in the store. then there's some bag sellers that do custom designs for their fans, like my friend, she has the gucci's with snake bling clasps. luv, me.

shiraz1 · January 26th, 2008, 07:46 AM

Is there a site where we can enter serial numbers to check authenticity? I just purchased an older bag with the number 0490 235. How can I tell if it's real?

Thanks in advance

boysRsmelly · January 26th, 2008, 10:35 AM

Coach only has a database for bags that use the current format. If its a vintage bag, you can't look it up.

shiraz1 · January 26th, 2008, 05:19 PM

Thanks - too bad there's not a public database, I'm finding that Coach shopping on Ebay is proving addictive :)

UkiSash · January 27th, 2008, 02:57 PM

Hey, I would also like to know about the FO4M-1424 serial #

boysRsmelly · January 27th, 2008, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UkiSash

Hey, I would also like to know about the FO4M-1424 serial #

Here's a stock photo of the bag in question:

vjp5005 · March 10th, 2008, 05:47 PM

Just got this bag, i'm wondering if its real or fake! im thinking its fake i dont see a serial number so i think thats my key to being fake. but if someone can help i'd appreciate it!

i'm new at this so im not sure how to add the pictures :/