January 21, 2021 Quick Steps to Authenticate a Coach Bag
I’ve learned so much from our store buyers about their quick steps to authenticate a Coach bag. Since they buy from the public every day, they’ve learned how to authenticate and price a wide array of popular designer bags over the counter.
They look to detailed internet guides like this one for general staff training and on-the-spot referencing. Our buyers are also avid shoppers, so whenever possible they take the opportunity to touch and study designer bags in department stores and boutiques. They also regularly pass around ones brought into our stores from senior buyers so they can examine signature details. In the case of a Coach bag, they focus on the following three things.
1. Quality is King
Leather bags feel buttery to the touch, have heavy hardware and hold a shape when empty. The first step you’ll often see a buyer take is to just sit a bag on the counter to see how it rests. They then run their hand along the outside of the bag, lift the straps for weight, and check the zippers and hardware for quality and ease of use.
2. Labels are Perfect
A dead giveaway to any fake bag is an error in the designer’s label. In the case of Coach, the label may vary from a current bag to a vintage one, so our buyers learn to identify and confirm what an authentic label will look like.
3. Monograms are Correct
Many Coach bags carry its signature monogram, and any variation on it makes a bag suspect. The easiest way to confirm the monogram is to search the internet for a similar bag, including as much detail as possible and referring only to photos from credible department stores and boutiques, or the label’s own website. Some monograms are more limited in distribution, so don’t be scared off by a new monogram you come across. Just search it online in hopes you’ve discovered something rare!
Here are some photos to help. Scroll down to see just some of the Coach bags that our buyers recently authenticated and brought into our stores.
