Coach handbags are coveted fashion accessories that have stood the test of time and been sought out by women for many decades. Founded in 1941 under the name Manhattan Leather Bags, Coach handbags were initially designed to have similar attributes to a baseball glove. The high-quality leather and superior craftsmanship that went into building these masterpieces are what has given them such a good reputation. Today, many women consider their Coach handbags to be prized possessions, but if you’re in the market to get one you have to be wary of knock off purses can be difficult to distinguish from the real thing. Here are five ways to tell if a Coach purse is authentic.
1. Make and Material
Coach handbags are made with the best of the best materials andthe manufacturing standards for these bags are extremely strict. Coachemployees are highly skilled artisans, and anything less than perfection is asign of a counterfeit purse. When you first lay your hand on a Coach bag you’reconsidering buying; its leathershould feel supple, soft, and of superior quality. Fake Coach bags aretypically made of cheaper pleather and plastic that appears to be overlysmooth.
Another surefire way to determine whether a Coach bag is real orfake based on its make and material is by looking at the stitching. Real Coachbags have stitching that is even, and every stitch is the same length. Thestitching on real Coach handbags is also straight and not over-stitched. Evenone stitch that is out of place is a telltale sign of a knock off, and fakeCoach bags oftentimes have uneven stitching.
2. Dust Bag and Hardware
Authentic Coach handbags come in a chocolate brown dust bag that features a red drawstring, red stitching, and a white logo in the bottom right. The hardware on genuine Coach bags is heavy, and either real silver or real brass is used to create it. You should always check the zipper on a Coach purse to see if it has the letters “YKK” engraved in it. At least one zipper on the bag, sometimes just the one on the interior, should contain this lettering. If a Coach bag is missing any one of these elements, chances are it’s probably a fake.
3. Design and Logo
Coach bags are easily identifiable by their signature Cs, but the Cs on real ones look very different from the ones found on counterfeits. Genuine Coach bags have Cs that align through both sides of their seam, and every letter is an actual C. The Cs on real Coach bags have two vertical and two horizontal C patterns and the letters are always straight. Fake Coach bags, on the other hand, may have Cs that do not align, contain other letters like G, O or Q, have just one C pattern, and/or include Cs that aren’t straight.
4. Authenticity Tag and Serial Number
Since the 70s, Coach has included authenticity tags in their bags. These authenticity tags are made of leather square panels and contain a unique serial number. The tags are stitched onto the bag, detail the origin of the bag and how it was made, and have a serial number that is stamped in place. By contrast, Coach bags that aren’t authentic may contain a tag that is glued in place, a description that contains spelling mistakes or typos, and/or a serial number that was inked on.
5. Price
If you aren’t too sure whether the Coach bag you’re about to buy is real or fake based on any of its physical features, its price is a good indicator of its authenticity. The majority of Coach purses cost at least $300, and if one is being sold for a much lower price, it’s probably too good to be true!
Taking the time to inspect a Coach bag using these five tips willguarantee you get your money’s worth and go home with an authentic bag thatwill last you for years to come. And if you’re on the hunt for a place whereyou can get your precious purse cleaned and repaired, Love Your Purse is theplace to go!
At Love Your Purse, we’ve been providing Torontonians withindustry-leading purse cleaningand purse repairservices for over 30 years. We specialize in cleaningand repairing brand name handbags,and we offer our customers a 100% money-back satisfactionguarantee. Contact ustoday to get a free quote!
