This post is all about deciphering the serial numbers on Coach bags. Here you'll find step-by-step instructions on how to understand a Coach Creed. I've also included some example photos along with references to guides to help with determining authenticity of a Coach bag.
I recommend you start by perusing this article by Vintage Coach Bags:
http://vintagecoachbags.com/index.php/authenticity-guide/
If you don't have time to read the article all the way through, I've provided some quick highlights below.
I recommend you start by perusing this article by Vintage Coach Bags:
http://vintagecoachbags.com/index.php/authenticity-guide/
If you don't have time to read the article all the way through, I've provided some quick highlights below.
Coach Bags Made After 1994
Here's what your post-1994 bag's serial number may contain. Let's use F5D-9966 as an example referenced on VintageCoachBags.com:- The first digit, a letter, is the code for the month when the bag was made.
- The next digit (which later became two digits) is the year it was made.
- The final digit is the code for the plant where the bag was made.
- Dash, plus
- The style number
Other Markings
- A "bullet" or target symbol stamped into the corner of the creed indicates the bag was a full-price boutique bag sold at an outlet at a discount. F means the bag is made for factory and sold at outlets or an online factory sale
- X, at the top of the creed, which means the bag is factory grade and sold at a discount store
- M or N, which means the bag was made specifically for Macy's or Nordstroms
- P, at the end of the style number, which indicates it's a so-called pilot bag, a product that might never have actually been produced and sold
History of Coach Serial Numbers
Early Years
Coach began in 1941, and the company's earlier bags didn't have serial numbers. Those first appeared in Coach purses in the 1970s. At that time, the serial number was three digits long followed by a dash and four more numbers in the format xxx-xxxx. This was a true serial number, unique to that particular bag, and didn't contain the style number.
In the 1980s, the serial number was four numbers followed by a dash and three digits: xxxx-xxx. This number still didn't signify anything; it was just a unique number for that bag.
1980s Serial Numbers
Here is a great example of a vintage Coach bag from this era. The Coach Serial Number is 4035-434. This is the Coach Station Bag in dark green. I know this bag is authentic because I purchased it myself at the Coach store in San Francisco in 1984.
After the 1980s, the format of the serial number change to XXX-XXXX, with the last 4 digits of the Coach Serial number indicating the bag style number.
For example, here's an example of a Coach Station bag from 1995. The Coach Serial Number for this bag is E5D-5130. The style number is the last 4 digits of the Coach Serial Number, which in this case is 5130 for the Coach Station Bag. Decoding the first 2 characters (E5), this Coach Station bag was made in 1995. The green bag above was made more than a decade earlier.
From 1994 Forward
Starting in 1994, the number on the creed isn't technically a serial number. The company and Coach aficionados refer to it as the style number.
In bags made since then, this number, which is still widely called a serial number, includes production codes. In other words, the serial number was made up of production codes, before the dash, and style number, afterward. This is the point at which letters started to be used, too. There have been some changes over time in Coach purse serial numbers.
A word of caution: Even though most purses have a serial number, the absence or presence of one isn't always a sign of the bag's authenticity, because at certain times in the company's history, bags didn't have serial numbers. Keep in mind that just because the bag has a serial number doesn't mean it can't be a fake; counterfeiters often use legitimate serial numbers on their bags, too.