Jul 7, 2011 - One authentic signature bag's seams. But since you can't verify by providing Coach with the serial number any more, I thought perhaps you. Every detail counts, and will help you better identify a real Coach handbag. Searching For a Serial Number. How to Identify Authentic Ralph Lauren Handbags; YOU MAY ALSO LIKE. How to Check a Dooney & Bourke Registration Number. How to Verify a Coach Serial Number. How to authenticate Coach bags Posted on July 7, 2011 by ourgoodwillstore If there is a place to come into contact with a large number of designer bags, authentic and counterfeit alike, it is among Goodwill’s donations!
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Also, examine the fabric and the leather. It should be cut evenly, with no patterns cut off in any area of the bag. Signature bags will have 'C' shapes in sets of two, no more, no less, and the patterns will always line up evenly. This Gorgeous Black Authentic Coach 6091 Signature Hamptons Shoulder Bag shows how the C shapes line up. However, sometimes, you may notice that mini 'C' shapes may be slightly off in authentic bags, due to the very small size.
If you're still unsure, contact the seller and request photos that show the stitching up close. If the bag is truly authentic, the seller should have no problem providing the requested photographs.
Wording on the inside tag will be perfectly spaced with no spelling errors. Any jumbled words or misspellings will tip you off to a fake Coach bag.
Be aware, however, that sometimes the smaller Coach pouches don't have a Coach creed. Some do, but in that case, the creed will not contain a style number or a registration number. Often times, this confuses those looking to determine whether their Coach bag is a knockoff or the real thing.
You may also notice that the hardware on the bag appears to be authentic polished nickel, but this is unlikely the case on a knockoff Coach handbag. To determine whether it's a heavy-duty nickel or a cheaper material, tap on it with your fingernail. It's quite easy to feel the difference between a solid metal and a painted plastic.
Also, on authentic Coach bags, the difference is in the zipper. A true Coach purse will have a zipper with a 'YKK' engraving, whereas a poor knockoff will not. If you're still unsure of the authenticity, check out how the purse zips. Real Coach handbags should zip smoothly and easily. Because the stitching is flawless, you should never find your zipper caught on a seam or a stitch.
This Coach Fanny Pack, Signature Black Leather Waist Belt Bag + Hangtag and Key Chain shows what some of the authentic hangtags look like.
Signature bags have the 'C' pattern on the front of the bag, but never on the inside. However, sometimes, you'll see a 'C' pattern on the inside, but it will not be on the outside. It's never both.
Finally, just because your bag says 'Made in China' does not indicate that it's fake. In fact, most Coach bags are crafted in China. However, if it says 'Made in China' and also shows signs that it may be a knockoff, it's better to avoid the purchase until you know for certain.
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material|vintage serial number|rounded tag serial number|rectangular tag serial number|exterior|hardware|zipper|lining|seams|vintage gucci and gucci accessory collection | gucci outlet|gucci plus|case study 1: gucci abbey bag|case study 2 : gucci soho bag | case study 3 : gucci dionysus bag
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You have read Part 1 and Part 2 of our Ultimate Guide‘s Gucci serial number check.
In this part, we will be discussing an important, if not, the most important leather tag style. Of all the posts in this guide, this has the most number of photos attached.
The most popular bags under Alessandro Michele, including Gucci Marmont, Gucci Dionysus, Gucci Blooms and Gucci Padlock bags will have this leather tag.
Over time that I received authentication requests for these bags, I noticed fakes are getting better and better. Save yourself the trouble and have it professionally authenticated. I have seen scary good fakes, which will rattle the uninitiated.
You may click here for more information. What’s $5 for a thousand dollars lost for a fake Gucci Marmont bag?
The Rectangular Tag
You want your first Gucci bag. You browsed Ebay and got overwhelmed with all the bags listed. A bag looked identical to the one above and below it. You had eye fatigue and bought the one with the serial number. It has a serial number so, of course, it is authentic. WRONG.
A lot of authentic, contemporary Gucci bags (i.e. from the mid 90s, check the history here) have this style of leather tag attached inside:
Sample of a leather tag from an authentic Gucci bag
This is a sensitive topic, as most of the fakes flooding the market now would have had this type of leather tag. It could have been the type of tag inside your first fake Gucci bag you bought from Ebay. So read on!
This type of leather tag is currently in production in most, if not all, Gucci bags. It, therefore, makes sense to be aware of what to look for. As I mention several times, the devil is in the details.
So, how to read Gucci serial numbers? Is there a meaning to a Gucci serial number? Can we have a Gucci date code like there is a Louis Vuitton date code?
Well, the Gucci tag’s “serial number” (as this is what most people call it) has, based on the information I researched, the style code/number in the first row that should also be reflected on the bag’s price tag, and the supplier code on the second row.
This means that 2 or more bags may have the same serial number. However, fakes also have the same serial number (i.e. style code and supplier code).
For small leather goods like wallets, cardholders or coin purses, the Gucci serial number is divided by a period: to the left of the period is the style code, while the number on the right is the supplier code.
The Gucci serial number, however, cannot give information the year a Gucci bag is made unlike the Louis Vuitton date code. Your best bet is to familiarize yourself with the styles/era the bag was made.
This could be instinctive as you get more acquainted on the evolution of Gucci bags. So, you’ll have no luck looking for information on a “Gucci date code”, unfortunately.
Without mentioning explicitly what makes the leather tag and the serial number fake, let us begin by looking at some fake ones. Heaven forbid that a “Gucci China”-made crossed your path! It will never be made in China, but there are reports of luxury houses outsourcing pre-production, but I digress.
Fake Gucci Serial Number & Tag Parade
With minimal discussion of the specifics, let us begin our fake Gucci parade!
(For side-by-side photos, check out these case studies on a Real vs. Fake Gucci Abbey messenger bag, Gucci Soho bag, and Gucci Dionysus bag).
Let’s begin with the very bad fake ones.
Look at the rectangular tag below. It is not even close to what an authentic GUCCI is supposed to look like. While I may take offense with the bad edging job on this bag, I’ve seen a couple of authentic Gucci bags that leaves a lot to be desired on this aspect.
A fake Gucci leather tag in brown GG monogram canvas bag
For this fake Gucci serial number, it appears to be authentic for an untrained eye. Sometimes I watch fake items on Ebay to see how high these would go. Unfortunately, it’s either the seller feign authenticity or, most of the time, the poor buyer just did not know at all. I’ve seen hideous fake bags sold as high as $200!
Fake Gucci bag with serial number 166023 00258
What you should remember is that for rectangular Gucci leather tags, they are composed of two rows of NUMBERS (only numbers, you’ll eventually see below why I emphasized this).
A quick Google search of the serial number (even just one row) will show in Google Images a similar bag. Even if you search the whole thing, again, Gucci serial numbers are not unique. And, again, fakes may also have the same serial number as an authentic bag!
Here is an example of a fake serial number for a popular Gucci bag. This is for a Gucci Monogram Canvas Tote Bag with Red and Green Stripe Handle.
I might be jumping ahead of my post here, but I’d like to quickly post this authentic leather tag and serial number of the same style for instant comparison.
Leather tag of an authentic Gucci Monogram Canvas Tote Bag (Red and Green Handle Stripe) with serial number 131231 204991
It is obviously a well-loved piece.
Anyway, compare the details of the serial number from the fake one and the authentic below it. The font of the serial looks miles apart.
Don’t worry, we’ll have more examples.
Let us continue with the fake parade, as things will progressively look more difficult.
Look how sloppy the GUCCI is. It appears that the two Cs got into a fight. Also, why is there a letter in a Gucci serial NUMBER?
In the next two photos, both are fake leather tags and serial numbers of the same style of bag.
Fake Gucci bag with serial number 141954 221141
Another fake Gucci bag with serial number 141954 22141
Meanwhile, here is an example of a serial number for a fake Gucci Soho crossbody bag:
Fake Gucci Soho bag with serial number 308364 9991
The last serial number photo in this Gucci fake parade is something you should be careful of. In the example below, it seems that the front of the leather tag got all the details correct. But as you turn the tag, you will see the waving red flag.
Scary, right? That’s why you must study all details as closely as possible. Look at the font at the front and, especially, the numbers at the back.
Better yet, have us at Bagaholic 101 authenticate your bag for a stress-free buying. A minimal $5 saves you a lot of time and hassle.
Here is another fake bag, this time a Gucci GG Canvas Positano bag with a scarf. It is worth zooming into the photo because the leather actually looks decent. But upon close inspection you can see the details are off, and the serial number is nothing like what is used on authentic Gucci bags.
Fake Gucci Positano Monogram Canvas bag with serial number 153033 9771
(Same can be said of a super fake Gucci Dionysus bag discussed with photos and tips here)
Authentic Gucci Leather Tags & Serial Numbers
This will be the most tedious, but definitely the most helpful part: what to see on authentic Gucci leather tags. I have combed my hard drive and other storage to compile as many photos of authentic Gucci bags on Ebay (and other online platforms) that I sold.
A COUPLE OF NOTES:
- The front should have the registered trademark symbol (®), which I guess you already know from the fake parade above. Then the GUCCI font under it, followed by an all lowercase ‘made in italy’. BUT there are rare cases where the symbol is missing in authentic Gucci bags (I posted a photo towards the end).
- Contrary to what you may have already read online, it is impossible for ALL Gucci bags to have that defined embossing on the leather. Why? There are a couple of factors. This could be because: a) the material itself could resist properly defined embossing (e.g. pigskin leather with hair follicles), b) the leather eventually got worn and soft that made the print shallow (this is especially evident on GUCCI embossed zipper pulls), c) there are bags bought from Gucci handbags outlet, which are made from excess (I prefer this than scrap) materials, and had less stringent quality control, or d) a bag even from a flagship store could have been deemed acceptable under inspection because all other details are up to standard (again, Gucci is no Hermès, quality-wise). This list is not exhaustive.
- A Gucci serial number should have two rows. While the bottom row is made up of a block of numbers, the top row can vary. On some bags, it could also be a block of number. But in others, it is grouped into clusters of two, divided by a dot or in rarer cases, a dash.
Again, I would not want to give out as many details to prevent counterfeiters improving their fake bags.
Bag serial number of an authentic Gucci bag made for outlet with serial number 92736 203998
Bag serial number of authentic Gucci 101644 001998
Remember the authentic Gucci coated monogram canvas messenger bag I bought for $10? Here is its leather tag and serial number.
Bag serial number of authentic Gucci 110054 203419
I also had a similar messenger bag before, but made with a black nylon canvas bag. Here is its leather tag and serial number (notice they have the same top row?):
These are some of pigskin Gucci leather tags, making it tricky to make out the details but you can still see it. The follicles also make some of the details look a bit weird.
Bag serial number of authentic Gucci 145859 467891
Bag serial number of authentic Gucci 019-0355 002113
Bag serial number of authentic Gucci 002.115 002058
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The one below is an exception. It is missing the registered trademark symbol on top. This is a Gucci bamboo handle with a satin body. But it is, definitely, authentic.
Bag serial number of authentic Gucci 002.1010 2852, with two bamboo handles and three compartments
We can also observe this side-by-side comparison of a Gucci Gifford tote (one brown and one black).
Authentic Gucci Gifford Monogram CanvasTote Bag. The brown with serial number 101340 204990, while the black with serial number 101340 213317
Last but not the least, look at this Gucci leather tag and serial number below. There is a rectangular leather tag with studs outside the flap of the bag. The embossed number in this outside tag is the same as the top row of the serial number. =)
I hope that by now, you already get the gist of how to tell if a Gucci bag is real, with the help of scrutinizing the leather tag and the serial number inside. Next section will discuss exterior details of a Gucci bag.
(Still unsure? Then you may try BAGAHOLIC 101’s authentication service below — QUICK AND EASY!)
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