Picture Comparison of Authentic and Counterfeit Coach

The counterfeit Coach bags seem to be getting better, at least to the  untrained eye, today I am going to go step by step comparing 2 bags, one counterfeit and one authentic.   These are all the things you can look for that will help you to determine if the bag you got is authentic.

Normally I would just do a google search using the creed number.  Most counterfeit bags will have the wrong style number for that bag so when you do a the search, a different bag will show up. But when the style number is correct in the counterfeit bag, thats when you need to use your knowledge of authentic bags to find the less noticeable things that will tell you whether or not the bag is authentic.  This bag is just such a case, having an authentic style number, but notice the details!

This is the Coach Signature Multi Stripe Diaper Bag

This is the seam side, notice that the letter Cs do not line up, nor are they centered.  Now, on some styles, while the Cs may not line up, they are ALWAYS centered. Also notice that the colored leather patches, while they appear to be in the right color order, the colors don't match to the authentic bag.  Of course, you may not have a bag to compare it with, so the most obvious thing is how sloppy the pattern is right on the seam.

Again, the pattern is not centered on the counterfeit bag.

Now the inside is a major clue.  A baby bag will have the gathered pockets on the sides, the counterfeit bag has the 2 slip pockets and 1 zipper pocket like you find in the handbags.

I don't have a good picture of the authentic bag zipped closed, but this angle of the inside shows 1 side of the zipper.  It's what's called a "break away" zipper, meaning it unzips and separates.  Note on the counterfeit bag that it's not a true break away zipper, it is connected on one end.

And now we're at the creed patch.  At first glance you can see the differences. The wording is spread out, so the border around the wording goes right to the edges of the creed patch.  The words "superior" and "attention" look different.  It's hard to tell if they are misspelled, but there appears to be a "t" on the end of superior and the end  of attention appears to have something wrong with it.  Always read the words in the creed patch and make sure they are all spelled correctly, and evenly spaced.  Something I have run across on a few counterfeit bags is wording that indicates the whole bag is made of leather instead of just trimmed in leather.  Also note the prefix letters/numbers are short one on the counterfeit creed, and while the authentic bag was made in 2007, the counterfeit would indicate 2006.  The numbers/letters on the creed patches have changed over the years, so you can't say any one thing about them is an absolute, except that the No in front of the set of numbers/letters is always a capital N with a small o underlined.  On the counterfeit bag you really don't see it stand out like it does on the authentic bag.

I hope this has been helpful, it takes a lot of skill to know what to look for and that takes time to develop.  Guides like this one may help you be more confident in buying pre owned Coach bags, but the best thing to do is to have confidence in the people you buy from.  We, at Exclusively Coach pride ourselves on our knowledge of Coach and our superior customer service.

Stop in to our next auction on April 14th, 2015 here , we have expanded to bring you more designers, however we are still primarily Coach.

Welcome to the New Exclusively Coach Auctions!

We have spun off into our own group now, bringing the same great variety of Coach merchandise, brand new, pre owned, vintage and hard to find pieces, all guaranteed to be authentic.

Our auctions will be on Tuesday's at 10am.  Our first auction was on Tuesday, October 7th and was a huge success.  Don't miss our next auction on Tuesday October 14th at 10am.

We have a lot of new and exciting things in store for our customers, giveaways, contests and more.

Stay tuned.........

Coach Leathers

Coach was first known for their leather bags and accessories.  They use something like the top 10% of the highest quality leathers in their products.  But not all leather is created the same, there is glove tanned leather, saddle and bridle leather, vachetta leather, saffiano leather and they all have specific qualities and characteristics.  Today I'd like to touch on glove tanned leather since the majority of all vintage bags were made with this material.

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.

The vintage full-grain glove tanned leather was from a heavy/medium-weight cowhide with very specific processing and tanning. It was described as such because the method the leather was processed and tanned was similar to baseball gloves. This method gave it extra durability and certain characteristics that made Coach unique. There was also a process of chroming, which is still used today in their hides. Although the cowhide is full grain, the process would fill in most of the grain, giving it a more slick appearance and allowing the patina to form beautifully. It would darken over time, similar to a baseball glove. They would scar easily, but lasted for a long time. There are still Coach items made today with the glove-tanned method. 

Baseball leather is tanned using a process known as "chroming".  Chrome tanned leather is tanned using chromium salts, and it is much more supple and pliable than vegetable tanned leathers. Initially this leather is stiff, however with use it becomes broken in, just like a baseball glove, and it actually gets better over time.

Because of our love and dedication to Coach, we very often carry vintage leather bags in our auctions. I hope this article gives you a new appreciation for the enduring quality of Coach leather products.