Spot Fake Coach Labels | Made in the USA

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4. Labels: A key piece of evidence in spotting fake Coach.

Image of authentic Coach label:

Info on serial numbers:

Beware: Coach has used many different creeds over the years. They've changed sizes, fonts, wording, positioning of the numbers, everything. Just because the creed of a certain bag does not correspond to the paramenters of another handbag does not confirm it is fake.

[Note]: Always read the creed before you buy. If the bag is made of Signature fabric and the creed says it's made of genuine cowhide leather, that is a red flag. The materials the bag is made from should match the creed statement, the country where the creed says the bag was made should match the plant code in the serial number. The stamping should be even, the stitching should be straight and even and (usually) without double stitching, the words should be spelled correctly, and the punctuation and the spacing between words should follow standard (English) rules of grammar.

The 7-number serials were phased out in 1994, and replaced with an alphanumeric serial number which had three digits representing the factory, year and season, and after the hyphen, the four digit code for the bag model. For example K4M-5130 would be a Station Bag (5130), made in 1994 (the number 4 in the prefix). The K & M are factory and manufacturing codes. So every single Station Bag made in 1994 in that particular factory could have the identical serial number. And some popular bags were made in more than one factory so the same style number could have different prefixes on different bags.
Coach did not add the fourth digit in the serial prefix until it was necessary to prevent year repetition, in 2004.

Coach pre-1994: (y = number) Seven digit serial numbers were used.
Coach post 1994 prefix: (x = letter) Switch to alpha-numeric serial numbers.

y2y = 1992 [All numbers. Example further below of 1992 coach label]
y3y = 1993
x4x = 1994 [Switch to alpha-numeric serial numbers]
x5x = 1995
x6x = 1996
x7x = 1997
x8x = 1998
x9x = 1999
x0x = 2000
x1x = 2001
x2x = 2002
x3x = 2003
x04x = 2004 [Forth number added to avoid repeating year]
x05x = 2005
x06x = 2006
x07x = 2007
x08x = 2008
x09x = 2009
x10x = 2010
x11x = 2011
x12x = 2012

Coach creed stamps:

_[01/12/12]

Bullet/target sign/bullseye: Outlet
X: discount store
M: Macy's
N: Nordstroms
FS: Final sale (voids warranty)
ES: Employee sale/ sold to a Coach employee at a discount (seems to also void warranty)

Coach_label with Coach Outlet bullet-target stamp [Update_(07/02/12)]: The stamp is located in the upper left corner of the label, indicating this was purchased from a Coach outlet. [Some bags have been seen with an "X" in the right corner. More info on this is needed]

Coach label with outlet stamp

Further notes:

In 2005 and 2006 even more codes were added although the year code is still in the same place in the sequence. Bags made just for the factory stores/outlets will now often have the letter F before the style number. Some bags such as the 2006 Legacy line can have as many as ten digits in the serial number, five on either side of the hyphen, and current bags made for the Factory Stores can have as many as eleven digits. For one year in 2005 some style numbers began to include letters and numbers until Coach decided to expand the style number to five digits.

Below is an example of an authentic Coach 2006 label with the eleven expanded digits, and the "F" before the style number:

Serial numbers beginning with the letters N thru Z are not valid Coach numbers. If any of these letters are seen kicking off a Coach serial number sequence it should raise an automatic red flag.
With only two letters or one number and one letter to the left of the hyphen can be assumed to be fake.
501-20 + all similar numbers starting with 101-, 202-, 501-, 701-, etc., followed by 2 or 3 numbers after the dash and usually with a patch that says "made in Korea".
Coach never made bags in Korea and never used serial numbers with only 5 or 6 digits like this: "xxx-xx" or "xxx-xxx" and without the abbreviated "No." in front of the numbers. However, a few items with 6-digit serial numbers were manufactured for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Coach never used serial numbers with 6 digits or less. 501-20 and all similar numbers starting with 101-, 202-, 501-, 701-, etc., followed by 2 or 3 numbers after the dash and any label that says "made in Korea" are all warning signs.

[Note]: Up until the last few years, there was no standard placement for underscores, dashes and gaps. Every Coach factory started out with their own templates, therefore it is normal for them to be different. But always use extra caution when things seem out of place. Many contemporary Coach serial numbers seem to have spaces after the prefix, and after the hyphen: x09x - xxxx. Not like: x09x-xxxx. Again, this is not conclusive information yet, and needs to be updated. [Update 10/3/10] There still seems to be no uniformity with serial numbers. Some have the dash closer to the first set of numbers, some are centered perfectly, some have space, others seem cramped. So, currently, the dash is still an x-factor. Something that will vary from bag to bag, year to year, model to model.

[Note]: If you purchase from an unauthorized dealer, call Coach, their representatives will verify if the authenticity number matches the style, (Coach contact link at the bottom of tutorial).

Image of authentic Coach label: Use this image to compare to the fake Coach label below.

Image of fake Coach Label: (Note the misspellings, some words run together, and the Coach impression on top is faint).

Image of counterfeit label patch

Below is an authentic vintage (pre 2002)Coach label (1992): [Update_(07/01/12)]:

[Note]: The Creed in this pre-2002, from the year 1992. This vintage Coach lablel reads much different than the updated post 2002 Coach Creed. Also, notice that below the creed says that this handbag was made in the United States, and it is a seven digit all numeric serial number. The letters were not introduced until 1994. This handbag was made before the switch to Chinese manufacturing around 2002. The creed reads:

This is a Coach bag. It is made out of a completely natural glove tanned cowhide. The scars, scratches, veins and wrinkles are natural markings characteristic of full-grain leathers.
Made in the United States

Vintage Coach pre 1995
label (and creed)

Metallic Coach label with cursive creed: Below is an authentic metallic style label [Update_(07/01/12)]:

Vintage metallic label

[Note]: The gold cursive style script writing as seen on Coach lines such as Legacy. This script should have texture, it will not be a cheap screen print, if you run your finger over it, you should feel the ridges. [more info on this type of label coming].

Below is an image of a fake Coach label: [Update_(07/04/12)]
[Note]: How's this label look? Notice the creed impression, (the impression color looks a little odd itself), compared to the date code. The date code's stamp impression looks much lighter, much more faint than the creed, almost as if it was pressed by a different machine altogether, or by using a different technique. Also notice the stitch line under the numbers 4 and 2 in the first sequence. The stitch line appears to be doubled up on two links. This is also a warning sign that the bag is not real Coach. And if these semi-subtle tells are not enough, then there is more. If you read the creed, you will stumble upon the word "SURERIOR", a laughable mistake, the word they misspelled is obviously supposed to be "SUPERIOR". [More creed phrasing issues]

fake Coach label

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Coach Tutorial Sections:

Coach CC Pattern
Coach Labels ←

Coach Creeds

Coach Hang Tag and Zippers
Coach Lining, Hardware (&more)
Coach Diaper Bags
Coach Sneakers

Tutorial Ref: Bagbliss.com
FattiniFashion.com