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Coach Bag Fake vs. Original vs. Outlet 2024: How to Spot a Fake or Factory Coach Bag？

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Coach Bag Fake vs. Original vs. Outlet 2024: How to Spot a Fake or Factory Coach Bag？

Coach was founded in New York City in 1941. Today, Coach is as a leading design house that offers a variety of products, and describes itself as a blend of classic American style with a distinctive New York spirit. There are many fake coach bags on the market, and there is no strict uniformity amongst Coach bags, which makes it difficult to spot a fake, as a rule that applies to one bag does not totally apply to another. Besides, Coach brand has two different designs and production lines - Coach retail and Coach Outlet, what are the Differences between them? Bearing this in mind, I have developed a fake vs real Coach bag and Coach retail vs Coach Outlet guide that should give you some general rules to help you to spot the authentic Coach bag from the fake and Coach outlet.

Cover Photo:coach.com

Coach Bag Authentic vs. Fake

1. The Fabrics And Materials

1) The materials and workmanship are extremely important to a quality, authentic Coach bags. One of the first things you should check is the overall craftsmanship of the bag. A poorly made bag will have ill-fitting leather pieces that cause the product to bulk in areas.

2) Real Coach leather is buttery-soft and feels high-quality. It should smell and feel like genuine leather. Fakes are often done in pleather or plastic. Reject the new bag if the material is scratchy or flawed or if the leather appears to be fake. If your bag is second hand, real leather will stand the test of time, growing beautiful aging marks such as tiny creases at the most.

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Source:coach.com

2. The Iconic CC Pattern Print

1) Whether printed or embroidered, the pattern should always have two vertical and two horizontal "C" patterns and not just one. Look for horizontal and vertical accuracy, the pattern should line up evenly. Authentic Coach bags are always perfect, so if you see any crooked letters, it' fake.

2) Some claim C's that should not break at the seams or pockets. Due to certain styles (like those having invisible zippers or diagonal darts), this has not been a consistent standard.

3. The COACH & Horse and Buggy Logo

1) Some Coach bags contain the full designer logo, which consists of a man holding a whip on a carriage being pulled by two horses, the name "COACH" in capital letters, and the words "New York" or "Est. 1941" underneath the name.

2) You can tell if the bag is real just by analyzing the font. Look out for is the font of 'A' in the Coach logo. It should always be pointed at the top and should never have a flat or rounded top, as this is an indication of a fake. The two C's should also be the same shape.

3) The iconic horse and buggy also differ in size. Usually for the older models, the horse and buggy are quite big compared to the newer ones. They should also be facing to the left. A good way to tell a fake is by looking at the details of the horse and buggy. The original will have a detailed, artful one, while the fakes will look sloppy.

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Source:coach.com

4. The Coach Creed Patch

1) In most cases, regular sized bags have what is known as a 'creed patch' inside of them. It's perfectly centered, always stitched onto the bag, and never glued on. It should be the same colour as either the lining or the contrast stitching. For smaller bags and wallets, the creed patch is usually absent.

2) This is a leather patch with a small paragraph of text, all written in capital letters. The creed itself provides details of the origin of the bag and how it has been manufactured.

3) The writing should be neat on the tag, not crookedly stamped on and with no overlapping letters. Sometimes fake Coach bags contain a creed with an abundance of typos or spelling mistakes.

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4) The leather patch will also include a serial number that consists of at least five numbers, although the exact amount of numbers will vary depending on the model and the year the item was made.

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5. The Coach Serial Numbers Format

1) The serial number is stamped into the creed of an authentic Coach bag with the word “No.”, (the abbreviation for“number”) . If the bag is fake, it might contain a serial number that has been inked on.

2) History Of Coach Serial Numbers

Early Years

Coach Serial numbers first appeared in Coach purses in the 1970s. At that time, the serial number was three digits long followed by a dash and four more numbers in the format xxx-xxxx. This was a true serial number, unique to that particular bag, and didn't contain the style number.

1980s Serial Numbers

In the 1980s, the serial number was four numbers followed by a dash and three digits: xxxx-xxx. This number still didn't signify anything; it was just a unique number for that bag.

Bags Made In 1994 To Mid 2000s

Starting in 1994, the number on the creed isn't technically a serial number. The company and Coach aficionados refer to it as the style number.

In bags made since then, this number, which is still widely called a serial number, includes production codes. The number can tell you a lot, including: The month and year the bag was made; Where it was made; The style number.

In other words, the serial number was now made up of production codes, before the dash, and style number, afterward. This is the point at which letters started to be used, too.

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6. Hang Tag

1) Coach commonly uses leather logo tags that are attached by a beaded chain. Some styles to have metal tags. Do your research to make sure that the tag goes with the bag you are getting. It's not uncommon for counterfeiters to mass-produce these metal tags; it's the cheaper more profitable way. Tags are never made out of hard plastic.

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2) Usually, the tag should match the trim of the bag. Make sure the logo is centered and not pushing twords the punch hole or any other direction. The quality of each letter should be crisp and uniform on the hang tag. Make sure both "Cs" look exactly the same. Make sure the "A" is pointed at the top and not rounded.

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7. The Lining of Coach Bag

1) A quick way to spot a fake Coach bag is simply by looking at the lining. The lining is usually solid and made out of quality cotton, satin, or canvas.

2) When a Coach bag has C's outside, it will have a solid-colored lining. Occasionally, vibrant linings are used for limited edition items. When the brand does use C's for the lining, it's a subtle dark-on-dark coloring. If the lining is overly shiny or it reminds you of an 80's prom, chances are it's fake.

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8. The Stitching of Coach Bag

COACH takes pride in experienced craftsmanship on each and every piece. Coach doesn't use cheap thread, or sloppy stitches, and there shouldn't be unfinished stitches either. If the stitching is of poor quality, by being raised in some areas, or if you see the string knot then it is a replica.

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9. The Hardware of Coach Bag

1) Coach hardware is usually made out of brass or nickel. They never use plastic or plated metal. A great way to tell whether your bag has quality hardware is to check its weight. Authentic hardware should feel solid and heavy, while the hardware on fake bags is light and made from cheap metals.

2) If your bag has rings connecting the handle to the body, check to see if the rings are solid and seamless. On rare occasions, Coach will have rings with seams but they are beautifully polished and aligned.

3) Be wary of Coach bags with plastic over the hardware. Counterfeit bag makers do this in order to prevent humidity from tarnishing the low-quality metal. Authentic hardware won't tarnish.

Source:coach.com

10. The Zipper

Authentic Coach handbags should have the letters "YKK" on the zipper pull. Some may be found on the interior zipper but if it does not have that somewhere on the zipper, it's most likely a fake. Check to see if the zipper snags. Real zippers should unzip easily.

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11. The Dust Bag of Coach

1) Dust bags have changed over the years. In recent years, the new Coach bags are accompanied by a white dust bag featuring the Coach logo. However, in the past, COACH dustbags were commonly dark chocolate brown with a drawstring. In the bottom right the words in all caps“COACH EST.1941″ written in white.

2) Check the font, spacing and positioning of the logo carefully. Older dust bag styles and colors may vary.

12. Where are Coach Handbags Made?

Most bags are made in China, but the company started moving production to other countries after President Donald Trump slapped significant tariffs on Chinese goods. In addition to China, Coach bags, wallets, and other ready-to-wear items are reportedly also manufactured in Vietnam, India, Philippines, Thailand, and Myanmar.

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Source:coach.com

Coach vs Coach Outlet

1. Coach vs Coach Outlet Logo

Many people said that the brand LOGO is different between the Coach counter models and the Coach Outlet models. For the Coach Outlet line, it has just the word "Coach", whereas the logo on regular bags has a picture of a "Coach" and carriage as well. But in fact, these two forms of LOGO will appear on Coach Outlet and Coach Retail. However, the Coach Outlet models use word of Coach more, and the counter models generally have carriages image.

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2. Coach vs Coach Outlet Style Numbers

In fact, the most intuitive way is to look at the coding. COACH Boutique items are full-priced (FP), and in other words, more expensive. Their style numbers usually begings pure numerically, such as Style No. 19611, etc.

And most of the product codes of Coach Outlets start with F, which stands for Factory, meaning that the bag was made specifically for a Coach factory outlet, and there are also several digit combinations behind them, such as F10496, etc. These style numbers are printed on the creed of all COACH handbags.

Sometimes factory outlets would also carry FP overstock items, and these FP items are usually are a season old before they arrive at factory stores. Bags that are sold at the outlet but do not contain this code were not made specifically for the factory outlet.

Source:coachoutlet.com

3. Coach vs Coach Outlet Quality

Coach counters and outlets in the United States are two different designs and production lines, and the materials selected are also different.

The Coach boutique items are made of expensive top-layer cow leather, which is delicate and durable, and the workmanship will be more exquisite; the outlets are mostly made of canvas (PVC) and ordinary cowhide, and the price is affordable.