First I’ll answer the OP’s question about the bag.

Generally, a serial number cannot prove AUTHENTICITY, but there are many instances where the serial number proves a bag is fake.

1. A bag is fake if it has a serial number that doesn’t match the style of bag it’s on.
2. A bag is fake if the serial number has a date code and/or plant code that is incorrect for the bag
3. A bag is fake if the serial number is a known INVALID serial number. Many fake Coach bags have serial numbers that were NEVER used on any item.

Privecouture, the serial number you asked about, 308-9875 is one of those numbers. It is NEVER on any authentic bag so any bag with that serial number on it is fake.

There is much incorrect information being posted here.

1. NOT all Coach items use YKK zippers. Zipper brand is NOT any indication of authenticity or UN-authenticity.

Over the years, Coach has used at least 5 different brands of zippers. And most fakes do have zippers that say YKK.

2. There are exceptions to the C rule. Generally the C pattern will be centered and level but sides and bottoms of bags don’t always follow the “rule.”

Also, there are some styles where the pattern is centered on the front but the bag is unmatched and uncentered.

The most important thing to remember about Coach is that the most consistent thing about Coach is its INCONSISTENCY. There are exceptions to every rule and just because a bag doesn’t follow the “rule” doesn’t mean it’s fake.

Also, PLEASE do not read and believe all the guides that are floating around the internet. Most have inaccurate, incomplete and outdated information. Also, no one verifies that guides are correct. Anyone can read a guide, claim to be an expert and write their own guide.

Your best and most reliable bet is to post authenticity questions on the purse forum.

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Privecouture, your picture isn’t showing but as stated above, a bag with serial number 308-9875 is always going to be fake. Again, Coach never used that serial number so the only bags (and/or other Coach items) that it will be on are fakes.

This thread on tPF might help. Scroll about 1/2 way down the post and you’ll see your specific serial number.

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Post pics and specs [URL removed]
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This is a forum of extremely knowledgeable people. (The Purse Forum.) Someone there will know for sure!

Archies, having a creed stamp or patch doesnt prove a thing – 999 out of 1000 fakes have stamps or patches too, Please don’t ever use that as proof of authenticity. If a counterfeiter can make an entire bag, how hard is it for them to make a fake patch – or hangtag, or price tag, or so-called “authenticity card”, or even a zipper that says YKK?

NO ONE SINGLE DETAIL CAN EVER PROVE THAT A COACH IS GENUINE. But having a number from that list posted at thePurseForum will almost always prove that it’s fake.

Zippers that say YKK don’t prove a thing – YKK sells to anyone who wants to buy their product , and their zippers are frequently faked – check their website.

Having even C’s across the seam isn’t proof either. The more professional counterfeiters are fully capable of correctly lining up a pattern. And some fabric patterns like Optics and Scarf prints DON’T follow that so-called “Rule”.

Please have Coaches authenticated at the Coach Shopping section of thePurseForum before you sell or buy – and DON"T pay any attention to some useless, outdated or just plain wrong “rule” that you found on the Internet.

ETA – OliveOyl, Coach employees aren’t trained in how to authenticate, and most know nothing about older bags. Just having the right style number doesn’t prove it’s genuine.

As for the bag with the keyfob style number – maybe it WAS real. Bags made before 1994 DON’T have the style number as part of the serial number, and a vintage bag with a number like 456-9927 is not a fake bag with a bogus Willis style number, it’s probably just a vintage bag with an old-style serial number.

Please DON’T depend on Coach store employees to authenticate bags, unless they’ve spent four to six hours a day every day actually studying, analyzing, and comparing photos, catalogs, actual bags, and information from Coach experts. And so far, I’ve haven’t found any with that much expertise.

If you haven’t already thrown that “fake” bag in the trash, you may want to have it authenticated at tPF’s Authenticate This Coach forum. And you may want to read the Answers To Authenticity Questions thread about how Coach serial numbers have changed over the [URL removed]
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There’s a world of information included in most Coach serial numbers – but you have to know how to read it! Just looking up the last 4 or 5 numbers on a computer doesn’t prove authenticity and may be worse than useless if the bag is vintage.

ARCHIES, I started to read the “Ebay Guide” that you posted a link to. So-called Guides like this are the kind of thing that turn me into a raving lunatic, because they’re filled with a HUGE amount of outdated, incomplete and just plain WRONG statements. Some [URL removed]

“Any authentic Coach hardware is stamped with the word ‘Coach’ with an outline,..” – WRONG. Many hardware pieces aeren’t stamped at all, and the more stamped O-rings and buckles and clips and turnlocks a bag has, the more likely it is to be fake.

The comment about spaces in the serial number? Also wrong, older bags that were hand-stamped and some bags from the early 2000s will have spaces in the serial number.

“…all leather Coach products have at least 1 Coach stamp on it, whether it be on the lower end of 1 side, or on the leather that attaches the shoulder strap to the bag,..” WRONG. That makes no sense at all. Many bags have no stamps except for the creed and some stamp designs actually prove a bag is FAKE rather than genuine.

The Fob – Coach fobs have changed over the years – there’s no way anyone can make blanket statements about fobs. And why does everyone always seem to think that counterfeiters aren’t capable of copying a design exactly if they want to take the time and trouble to do so?

And of course, the infamous “YKK Zipper Rule”. This is the single worst bit of nonsense that these useless “Guides” keep passing on, and it’s absolute BALONEY. For starters, Coach has used zippers made by at least 5 different manufacturers over the years. And why do these guide writers seem to think that YKK sells ONLY to Coach? Look at other purses, good quality outdoor clothing, jeans, etc, and take a look at YKK’s website. They are a HUGE multinational company with literally thousands of customers, probably including some fakes manufacturers. They sell to anyone. And what in the world is to prevent counterfeiters from making or buying FAKE YKK zippers? Again, read YKK’s website – counterfeiting of their brand is a huge problem for them, and a lot of those fake zippers, all stamped so nicely with “YKK” end up on fake bags.

If you’re basing your Coach buying and selling on this ridiculous Guide, you’re making a huge mistake. And anyone using that person’s “authentication service” has a better chance of getting a correct authentication by asking a Quija Board.

Read the posts in tPF’s Answers to Authenticity Questions – at least the information by their experienced authenticators in the most recent posts from the last year or two are correct. Ninety-nine percent of Ebay and internet “Authenticity Guides” are nothing more than bull-poop.

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“99.9 % of the bags are fake if not bought at coach outlet…” BACKTOTHEFUTURE, that statement makes no sense at all. So all bags bought from Coach.com or Coach full-price stores or Macy’s or Nordstroms or Dillards are fake? And all those well-trusted sellers here and at the Other Place are selling fakes too? And how does someone PROVE their Coach was sold at the outlets?

Please don’t make statements like that.

One way is if all the Cs on the outside are complete even across the seam.

Excellent info to research in the future, thanks!

Thank you for your time and kindness.My bag is an older version and it does not have any markings on the exterior.
Thanks pugmama for the link,i will ask my question there.
Here is a photo of the bag.

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Thank you very much for the tips and great link.

the interior should have a label usually sewn in with the item # listed on it that shows it is a real coach. it also usually reads authentic

check this listing they show a good photo of label

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even though there are several ways to determine that it is real ….here is a link that may help you
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I could probably tell from a photo of it..

I take any I find to the Coach store at Mall of Georgia. They look up the number, examine the item and tell me if they are real or not.

If authentic, they tell me the style mane, which is very handy. I have a black Buckle Bag that I will probably list soon.

I prefer to list these as auctions though. I wish Bonzanle would start having auctions.

Interestingly, I had one purse that seemed to be a good one, but very old, oops! I mean very vintage! It had a great looking tag and the leather felt good. Turns out it had an authentic number – for a key fob!

So watch out using the number only!

Hi. I had asked about Coach bags not too long ago. I was given this link by another Bonanzle member. This link is for a site that will authenticate your bag for you if it is an authentic Coach handbag CarolDiva@CarolDiva.com

From what I was told, Paypal honors her as an authenticator.

99.9 % of the bags are fake if not bought at coach outlet

MNPID and daria48. Thank you for your answers. Voices of reason in all the rumors, rules, and outright falsehoods out there. I’ve owned Coach bags for years . . . all vintage. Just the other day a girl I know showed me her new “coach” bag. I knew instantly it was a fake. Though I did not tell her it was fake, I later checked it out at the PF. I was right. I still haven’t told her because she’s so proud of it.