Vintage Coach Bags can be identified by examining their style number. The style number on Coach bags, as opposed to a serial number in designer bags, contains a lot of information about the bag such as the month, year, and place the bag was manufactured as well as the style of the Vintage designer bag.
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Style Number in Coach bags, however, is a new registration development. And so, most Vintage styles will have only serial numbers. Still, you will be able to know if a Coach bag is vintage by decoding the information of the serial number in the bag.
Not all vintage Coach bag has serial numbers. But if it has, it can be found on the leather patch on the inside of the bag. Write out the last 5 digits of the code and google it to see the name of your bag. From there, you can know whether it is truly an old-style or not.
You may come across an authentic Coach bag that has no serial number. There are many conditions for this as explained in my recent post HERE. One of them is the possibility of the bag being a vintage style.
In such a case, there are other ways you can tell for a Vintage Coach bag. From examining the style bag was made – whether it was made again after original production or was reissued, to the location where it was manufactured, and even the use of authentication services like Luxury Designer Authentication Services, you can still find out if it truly a supposed vintage Coach bag is genuine of the repute.
Let’s look into these, one after the other
Other ways to identify a genuine vintage coach bag
Coach, handbags were initially designed to have the same quality as a baseball glove. This was brought to life through the brand’s supple workmanship, fine leather, and even stitching. The brand has amassed several production lines over the years, but if you wonder how old your Coach bag is, here are some ways to tell:
1. The Style name of the bag
Find out the name given to the particular style of Coach handbag in question. You can find out about the actual style name of the bag from the nearest Coach store or outlet. With the style name, you can tell the year the style was released and then compare it to the current production season.
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2. The serial Number
Aside from the style name of the bag, the serial number, which is the popular approach, is another means through which you can tell if a Coach bag is vintage or not.
The luxury fashion company, since its production in 1990 gave all its handbags serial numbers (the slingbacks styles do not have) for identification. The serial number is found on a stitched patch on the inside of your purse under the zipper and contains registration information. The numbers follow the format: No A09 12-12345.
“No” means number.
“09”, which comes after a letter, stands for the year of manufacture the 2009-2010 model year).
“12-12345” indicates the registration number that verifies the style.
3. Find out on the official Coach Website
If the coach bag in question seems to be a very popular design, you could save yourself this stress and head straight to the Coach website or a catalog to see current styles.
Chances are that you will come across the closest style to use as a reference to the design you are trying to verify. With this, you can narrow your search to the style names in the year that the reference design was made.
Thankfully, Coach updates its classic styles and collections frequently. So the chances of finding whether or not your bag is vintage by using current catalogs are high.
4. Use the internet/ web shopping sites
You can tell if your Coach bag is vintage or not by simply going on the internet and narrowing your search to keywords like “Vintage Coach.” If your Coach bag is a popular vintage style, it may appear as a match with other handbags or purses being sold from past seasons and listed on the sites shown on the internet.
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In the same vein, you can visit online shopping platforms like eBay or ShopStyle to locate vintage Coach styles. From myriads of photos posted, you will be able to see if the style you have with you is listed in such a category.
The advantage of making findings on these web shopping sites is that it gives other information like the age and value of the bag once found under the vintage catalog. However, as with other online shopping sites, the downside is the inaccuracy of figures.
5. Google Image search
If you do not know the name and style of the bag and want to find out if it’s vintage, you can take advantage of the Google Image search tool. It is the quickest and most convenient way to get results instead of going to the Coach website to start looking.
Can I know how much my Coach Bag is worth using the serial number?
The code alone on the serial number of your Vintage Coach bag won’t give you the value or original price.
The serial number simply stands for the date and where the item was manufactured code and a code of authenticity. As such, it can’t be used to accurately identify the bag’s value. The value of Coach bags, especially at resale, is determined by the item’s condition and genuineness. This is where the serial number can be used to determine if the bag is real or a replica.
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To get the actual value for an authentic Coach bag, it is best to visit the official Coach website and make a search for the bag’s name and style.
Are vintage Coach bags made in China?
It is impossible to see a Vintage Coach bag that says ‘Made In China’, except it is a knock-off. One major verification for older Coach styles is the country where they were manufactured.
Since they are dated back to the early days of the brand’s products, they should read “Made In USA.” This is because Coach bags were made in the USA for decades, and some of the 90s vintage bags were made in Hungary, Turkey, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.
If the bag is made in China, it is not vintage.
Are vintage Coach bags still in trend in 2022?
Up until the earlier 2000s, Coach jostled with newer giant fashion brands to target the Gen Z demographics. It tools a total rebranding but left its vintage design untouched. In recent times, Coach has earned an “it bag” status with the launch of its Pillow Tabby bag as a rival to the popular Bottega Veneta bags.
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What is keeping Coach vintage bags in trend in today’s fashion world is the high quality and resale value. It may not have all the extravagant trendy design details but its vintage has the repute of standing the test of time.
The serial number in Coach items is the popular way to find out if it is vintage or not. When decoded, this is because the serial number will reveal the date of manufacture, registration information, and style information.
Finally, I must reiterate that the absence or presence of a serial number in Coach bags isn’t always a sign of the bag’s authenticity. The absence of serial numbers could be a telltale that it is vintage. (And, counterfeiters often use legitimate serial numbers on their bags, too.)
So, when trying to figure out whether a particular Coach bag is vintage or not, you can consider any of the approaches discussed above.
