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Avoid a Counterfeit Chanel Bag
Chanel Handbags
Chanel Handbags Chanel Shopper Handbag Chanel White Handbags Chanel Pink Handbags Chanel Black Quilted Handbag Chanel Black Patent Leather Bags Chanel Cambon Vintage Chanel Vintage Chanel Handbag Vintage Chanel Necklace Vintage Chanel Earrings Vintage Chanel Gold Earrings How to Spot Phony Chanel Purses This tutorial is a list of some of the most important details about 
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Reference: Burberry_Princess (eBay) and burberryprncess (Purse Forum) Chanel Tutorial Sections: Chanel Part One ← Chanel Part Two Chanel Hologram Sticker Guide Chanel Lampo Zippers Chanel Tag Guide Chanel Wallets 1. Hologram sticker: A 99.999% majority of all Chanel bags dating from around the “Michael Jackson Thriller” years (1984-ish) and forward should always be equipped with a hologram/authenticity sticker and a matching Chanel authenticity card. The hologram sticker has a sequence of numbers that should match identically to the corresponding number sequence on the 
Note:
By not being a fixed part of the Chanel handbag, the Chanel
authenticity card can easily be removed from the bag, left in a drawer,
lost at Starbucks, or slip down between a car seat to never be seen again.
And the possibility for the authenticity card to disappear increases exponentially
with every extra year of added Chanel age. Thus an absent Chanel card does not necessarily
equate to a fake bag.
Chanel sticker tips by the layer: Starting with the transparent top layer of the hologram sticker, we need to go back to the third quarter 5 series Chanel handbags, to locate the origin of what has since become a signature Chanel feature: The Gold sparkles. These gold sparkles should randomly look sprinkled across the top transparent sticker layer, like gold glitter. Now to the distant right of the serial number sequence, there should be a vertical strip that reads ChanelChanelChanel, and glancing over to the far left of the serial number, there should be a thick (dark) vertical line.
Concerning the (the secondary) white sticker layer: The white sticker is the sticker layer underneath the transparent sticker. This white sticker should be sliced into a "X" pattern or a "criss-ross" pattern. This criss-cross pattern should start at the very edge of the top corners. Meaning there should not be a space between the top corners of the sticker and the start of the slice. Tips concerning fonts in the serial number: Concerning the number one: If the Chanel hologram sticker contains a number one, than the number one should have a horizontal line at the bottom of the number (for bags manufactured midish to late 90's to present): Image of serif style font: 
Image of sans-serif (without-serif) style font (can be seen on vintage Chanel stickers): 
Concerning the number zero: If the Chanel hologram sticker contains a 0, then said 0 should have a diagonal slash through it, [late 5 series and beyond have the slash]. Earlier versions of the Chanel 0 do not contain the slash. [However some later 2 (sub) series bags and beyond will also have the slashed 0]. Image of a normal "no slash 0," as seen on mid 5 series Chanel bags and earlier: 
The slashed 0, as seen on late 5 series bags to the present, [also late sub series 2 and beyond as noted (above)]. : 
Note: The above images are not representative of the exact font used by Chanel. The above images are there to
illustrate the general guidelines used when scrutinizing the font of a Chanel label.
To see the actual Chanel font in
all its nuance, there is an image provided below. Also, studying fonts is
an essential tool when spotting fake
handbags. A counterfeiter could easily apply
a slash through a 0 and create the illusion of an authentic font. However,
often times under closer examination, the nuances of the font will differ from
that of the actual Chanel font. These slight
variations are tiny and difficult to detect, but the more you expose yourself
to the authentic fonts the easier detection becomes. [And you will discover
the importance of the subtle quality details, as you move into the better and
better fakes, as the top shelf fakes will usually have
(for the most part) the style/model details correct.
Beware: Always corroborate a sellers claims with the actual hologram sicker
inside the bag. If a seller claims that a particular Chanel handbag is new,
and the hologram sticker inside the handbag tells another story, then that is a big red flag.
Someone selling a “new Chanel handbag” with a hologram sticker that kicks off
the sequence with the number "6", may be being dishonest at best, or selling
a counterfeit Chanel handbag at worst. Either way it is a red flag.
Below are images of a few Chanel hologram stickers, both real and fake.  Update [1/1/2012]:
Chanel hologram sticker guide
Image of an authentic "10" series: Notice this authentic hologram sticker showcases a serial number/model number with both the correct Chanel font for the number 1, and also the correct slashed 0, as demonstrated in (above) examples. Furthermore, the ChanelChanelChanel logo sequence is to the right, and the black line is correctly to the left. Also note that the criss-cross slices run all the way to the edges of the white sticker. 
Image provided by Smoothoprter (eBay) .  [12/28/09]
Below is an image of a fake "10" series: Notice that in this image of a counterfeit
Chanel 10 series
hologram sticker, the font for the number 1 is incorrect. The number 1 font is not
the correct
sans-serif style font. The font depicted in this picture is more of an arial font,
similar to the
font used in this guide (1). Also notice the 0's in the fake serial number
are not the correct slashed 0's, associated with authentic Chanel hologram 10 series
stickers.
Note: Also, notice the sliced "X" background feature is faint and of low quality.
The top edges of the sliced "X" are curved and do not reach the top edges of the sticker,
inconsistant with the
10 series "X" pictured above. Furthermore,
there is no gold glitter specs, not
to mention odd placement of the Chanel logos.
These featuers are also inconsistent with the authentic Chanel label pictured (above).
† Notice that the fake sticker has the CC logo strip on both sides. Also there is no-slash in the 0, and the 1 does not have "feet". There also appears to be a font problem with the 8, with an ink blotch in the bottom hoop. However, this is located on both 8's and in the same spot. So possibly there was a problem with stamping mechanism itself. Below is a link to the Chanel hologram guide. The guide will Break down the Chanel hologram sticker in greater detail: [CC] Hologram 2. Concerning Chanel authenticity cards: Counterfeit authenticity cards associated with fake handbags and sunglasses are manufactured of less quality and lack the detail just the same as the fake handbag or glasses themselves do. This is no different with Chanel authenticity cards. Often times a poorly manufactured counterfeit Chanel authenticity card, when reflected in light, will emit a rainbow prism of color along the foil edges and body of the card. Authentic Chanel cards will not emit this rainbow hue.
Note: If the authenticity card is angled in the light, sunlight or fluorescent, and the light reflected is a prism-like
rainbow shimmer of color, the Chanel authenticity card is a definitive fake.
A gold light/reflection should be the only color reflecting off of the
Chanel card. Also, check the density of the authenticity card. Counterfeit
Chanel cards, like all authenticity cards, are often times slightly thinner
and weaker, able to be bent. Conversely authentic Chanel cards
should have a higher density. They will be slightly thicker and more sturdy,
and they should prove more difficult to bend.We have a Fake Chanel Authenticity card pictured on our Chanel wallet page. 
Note: This counterfeit Chanel authenticity card showcases
the prism-like raindow hue associated
with cheap counterfeit Chanel authenticity cards. The gold foil border of the card
is where this tell will manifest. When inspecting a Chanel authenticity
card, hold the card in the light and tilt it a bit. If it unleashes a multi-colored
hue, then this proves the Chanel card to be a fake. And from there, you can
easily infer that if the authenticity card is phony, and the handbag associated with
it is most likely fake too.
Information: Michele (Purse Forum) Images (below) of an authentic Chanel 10 series hologram sticker and card:
Note: The gold card numbers do not reflect a rainbow hue, and the hologram sticker
is authentic
gold speckled, however it is very worn, which is not uncommon.
  3. Chanel hardware (screws): Hardware on handbags hold powerful clues to the bag’s authenticity, or lack thereof. Concerning Chanel, the screws that they generally use are flat head screw. Screws with one horizontal line like this: (-). Chanel rarely uses what is known as phillips head screws that look like a cross on the screw head: (+). Quick re-cap:
More Chanel screw and hardware details:
Below is an image of authentic Chanel flat head screws (-): 
 Image provided by Smoothoprter (eBay) Image (below) of a Chanel asterisk (six point) screw head:  4. Chanel Labels: Labels are another key component in a Chanel handbag that will give clues to it’s authenticity. Chanel is made in France and/or Italy and should never say otherwise. The Made in France script and/or the or Made in Italy script should always align directly under the Chanel logo on the interior tag. The alignment should be symmetrical relative to the labels dimensions, meaning there should not be an uneven look to the alignment of the Made in Italy, or the Made in France in comparison to the Chanel logo or the label's borders. Despite many Chanel bags being manufactured in France, the handbags will not be stamped, etched or printed with Made In Paris, which would be a definitive counterfeit feature. That is not an authentic Chanel feature. However, an authentic Chanel handbag stamped Chanel with Paris underneath is a legitimate Chanel interior label feature. It is common to confuse a phony stamp saying, Made in Paris, with the word Paris being stamped underneath the Chanel logo. Consequently, for the bags that do say Paris under the Chanel, there will still be the manufactures stamp of Made in Italy, or Made in France, inside the handbag somewhere. Quick re-cap:
Smoothoprter (eBay and Purse Forum)
Note: The stamp impressions (Interior of handbag), the Chanel and Made in Italy/France
should match the hardware.
Below is an image of a gold embossed symmetrical label:
Note: The "Made in France" is perfectly aligned underneath the "CHANEL" emboss.
Also note the texture of the emboss, it is not a "printed on" label. Meaning if you
were to run your finger across the label, you could "feel" the texture.
Image provided by Smoothoprter (eBay) Below is an image of a fake Chanel label:
Note: Many times the tell is the tiny details. On this label the cross
on the "H" is not centered correctly compared to the "H" on the authentic label
(above). Also, the "L" looks a tad odd. The label does not look embossed, it looks
like it has been cheaply printed on the leather, compared to the authentic label (above)
which is textured. Concerning the fake label, if you ran your finger over
it you would most likely feel no texture at all. 
Chanel buttons and hardware: Buttons on handbags deal with the buttons themselves, as well as the manufactures, snap closures and the engraving on the particular button, snap or piece of hardware. A few Chanel hardware specifics:
Chanel Handbags
Chanel Tutorial Sections: Chanel Part One ← Chanel Part Two Chanel Hologram Sticker Guide Chanel Lampo Zippers Chanel Tag Guide Chanel Wallets |