How can I determine if this Coach bag is authentic?

[flowersforviolet]

Hello, I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I am wanting to purchase a Coach bag in this style, but I don't know what the correct serial number should be. I know the style is 7776, the Hampton Lunch Tote (if my searches were right), but the first part of the SN seems to change from each bag I look at. Is that normal? And if so, which ones are right?

I was having trouble uploading photos. I'll add links instead to two different listings I've come across here on Ebay.

Listing #1 - (F1S-7776) SN 

Listing #2 - (L2S-7776) SN 

I'm new to collecting vintage Coach bags, so I'm still trying to learn how to properly identify these things. I tried looking at the stitching, fonts, and quality of the creed, looking up the style number, and checking other similar listings. It's those serial numbers that confuse me the most.

I'd appreciate any feedback on this. Thank you!

[albertabrightalberta · Accepted solution]

@flowersforviolet 

Both bags you've asked about are authentic. 

With some exceptions in some years, generally for bags made in 1994 and later, the serial number is in 2 parts. (This applies to authentic bags. Fakes also have "serial numbers" but that doesn't make the bag genuine.)

The prefix, the first part indicates production information -- month/year/plant of manufacture

The suffix, the second part indicates the style number of the bag. 

The first bag you've asked about was made in June, 2001 in one of the Chinese plants, in this case S. 

The second bag was made in November, 2002 in the same S plant in China.

[flowersforviolet]

Thank you for your help!