Coach purse authenticity

[gaviaimmer11]

Hello- I had a vintage Coach purse listing taken down as counterfeit. The bag was a Watson style 9981. When I reexamined it, the only thing I see that could be off is that the serial number begins with a letter O. Did Coach serial numbers ever begin with this number? The hardware and everything else looks ok to me. Is it authentic or just a really good dupe?

 

 

[albertabrightalberta]

The bag was correctly removed. It's fake. 

You're correct about the month code being invalid but even with just 2 pictures, there are other visible problems too. 

Based on your post here as well as this previous thread from May, 2019, it looks like you're "verifying" authenticity by comparing the style/serial number to what you're finding in a google search of a style. 

Although it looks like you got an "authentication" from the 2019 post, that bag CANNOT be called "a Coach "mini" bag style #9825" unless and until it's confirmed as genuine and without more pictures, including a creed photo, we don't know it's authentic. It wouldn't have a style name if fake. 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Fashion/Vintage-Coach-Style-name/td-p/29874585

[gaviaimmer11]

Thanks for the feedback! Can you tell me what the other visible signs are you see in the photo that show it is inauthentic? I bought this a long time ago secondhand and always thought it was real!

[gaviaimmer11]

In terms of my 2019 post, I was not looking for authentication and did not own the bag in question... it was just a listing I was admiring and trying to find out what the style was called.

[vintagecoachcult · Accepted solution]

It is made of either very poor quality leather or vinyl. apparent in the flap leather and the strap.

[fashionclubgurl]

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@gaviaimmer11 wrote:

Thanks for the feedback! Can you tell me what the other visible signs are you see in the photo that show it is inauthentic? I bought this a long time ago secondhand and always thought it was real!

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Not only is the "O" in the serial number wrong, but the font used for the whole serial isnt right for that plant and year either. This is why Google is dangerous to use to authenticate ANYTHING. The only way to do it accurately is to compare the font(s) to both known genuine and fake Coaches made in the same plant and year and even better the same month. To do that takes a really big library of photos of those details. While its usually not hard to tell if somethings fake when theres an obvious mistake like that "O", it takes comparison of not just the details of the purse itself but also the sometimes tiny details in the serial number to actually be able to say its genuine. An experienced authenticator like Alberta and me can go to our photo libraries and break down every small mistake in a fake serial number, digit by digit.

So not only is Google or any other search engine useless and dangerous, but so are those computer-based services that claim to compare tiny construction details to genuine bags, but are completely incapable of something so easy and basic as actually looking up a serial number on the internet to see if any legitimate purse and accessory websites have posts that say its a known fake number. One of the most popular computer analysis sites is famous for that, Ive seen probably close to a dozen of their Certificates Of Authenticity where both the certificate and the purse itself has a serial number thats been discussed in a major Purseforum or been on the Daria48 Fake Coach Numbers List (hard to find these days but we know where to look) for ten years or more.

Authenticating Coach purses should be left to the experts with photo libraries big enough and accurate enough to do the job right.

[gaviaimmer11]

Thank you to everyone for the information and feedback