Advertiser Disclosure: Bag handbag earns commissions from qualifying purchases.

How to Spot a Fake Vintage Chanel Bag: 10 Step Authentication

 

While each fashion season unscrupulous handbag purveyors create replica bags for budget-conscious consumers, vintage Chanel purses are not immune to the copying phenomena.

 

While in case of some other brand name products it may be quite difficult, all vintage Chanel handbags have enough hard-to-fake features that it’s almost impossible to fool anyone who knows where to look.

 

For purse collectors, spotting a fake vintage handbag requires an eye for detail and a thorough examination of the bag’s stitching, lining, outer skin and hardware.

CHANEL Black Lambskin 'CC' Classic Flap Maxi (Pre-Owned)CHANEL Black Lambskin 'CC' Classic Flap Maxi (Pre-Owned)

 

10 Steps to Spot a Fake Vintage Chanel Bag

If you have any doubts if your vintage Chanel handbag is authentic, check the following details.

 

1. Visit your local library for designer bag history

Find books featuring the history of famous handbag designers. Within the pages of these periodicals, you will uncover pictures of vintage Chanel handbags, insight into the themes of the design house, and information about the past designer collections.

 

This book, The Handbag: An Illustrated History has images of vintage purses from Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel.

 

2. Look for an authentic serial number

All Chanel products manufactured in 1986 and beyond will have a serial number hologram sticker with a seven or eight digit code.

 

This serial number should also match the authenticity card sold with the handbag. Any bag manufactured before 1986 will not have a serial number in it so this is not a good way to determine whether a bag is authentic or not.

 

For example: Chanel bags made prior to 2000 have a serial number with seven digits. Newer bags may have a serial number featuring eight digits.

 

Some of the most commonly faked serial numbers are 7244764, 8947749, 9316391, 9395451, 9395455, 9675223, 9777617, 9889754, 9892039, 10218184, 10380486, 10501946, 10995820 and 11062948. Avoid purchasing bags with any of these serial numbers.

 

3. Check the lining of the handbag for puckering

The condition of a bag’s lining is a good indicator of overall quality. A fake bag will contain a faux-leather or PVC lining that gathers at the seam and feels rough to the touch.

 

4. Look for an authentic Chanel zipper pull

All (not only vintage) Chanel handbags have logo (Chanel or CC) zipper pulls. There are no Chanel handbags that lack them.

 

5. Examine the interior labels

All vintage Chanel handbags have one of the following labels on the inside: gold or silver Chanel stamp, embossed Chanel logo, rectangular leather label with Chanel sign in gold or silver, oval label with embossed Chanel logo, black label with Chanel in white color or black label with vertical lines.

 

Check also where the bag was made. The tag that holds the serial number will also say “Italy” or “France.” Chanel bags are only produced in these two countries by skilled artisans who adhere to strict standards. This is one reason why Chanel bags are so pricey. If the tag contains another country name or bears no country at all, you can bet it’s not real.

 

If there is no label or it doesn’t fall into any of these categories, this vintage Chanel handbag is a fake.

CHANEL Metallic Cream Quilted Leather Classic Flap Medium ((Renewed)CHANEL Metallic Cream Quilted Leather Classic Flap Medium ((Renewed)

 

 

6. Look for indicators of fake leather

Authentic vintage handbags have a unique leather smell; a fake bag does not. Also, Chanel purses and handbags are never made of lambskin, always calfskin. Synthetic leathers will show cracks when wrinkled or make squeaking noises when you bend the bag.

 

Cheap leather in older handbags will fray around the edges or have small rips along the seams from old age.

 

7. Check the CC logo

When checking the details of vintage Chanel handbags, make sure you’ve taken closer look at the CC logo. The top portion of the right C must overlap the top portion of the left C and the bottom portion of the left C must overlap the bottom portion of the right C.

 

Most fakes have their logos non-overlapping or doing it in other ways than described above.

 

8. Examine the purse for signs of reconstituted leather

These scraps of leather and other materials fused together feel like cardboard to the touch and cracks easily. Whether the bag is smooth or shiny, embossed or grainy an authentic leather handbag should feel durable, thick and substantial to the touch.

 

9. Study the stitching

Irregular seams along the outer corners of a vintage bag indicate poor workmanship and quality. In a high-quality bag, the stitches run in a straight line along the seams and the size of the stitches should be even.

 

Stitching on Chanel bags are precise and straight — in other words, perfect. If you see gaps, crooked stitches or fraying seams, the bag is counterfeit.

 

On quilted bags, the diamond pattern created by the stitching will be even all over the bag and will match up perfectly. If it doesn’t, the bag is most definitely a knock-off.

 

10. Check the purse’s hardware, clasps, and zippers

The best handbags use heavy plated brass in the construction of their hardware. Inferior metals will not feel heavy to the touch and are often hollow. All snaps and clasps must fasten easily, and locks should turn with ease.

 

Visit the website or the retail location of a designer handbag seller to view current and purse collections. Look for design themes and styles to detect fake vintage bags from authentic ones.

CHANEL Black Quilted Lambskin Double Sided Jumbo (Renewed)CHANEL Black Quilted Lambskin Double Sided Jumbo (Renewed)

 

More Vintage Chanel Handbag Authentication Tips

  1. At 10, 20, or 25+ years old a bag is considered to be vintage.
  2. If you look for these features, you will be able to tell if your vintage Chanel handbag is truly authentic, and not a replica. If you have any doubt as a buyer online, insist upon using an escrow service or PayPal to protect you from fraud.
  3. A real Chanel bag will also be wrapped in its box with delicate tissue paper that had the word “Chanel” and the logo all through it. Hint – if the online seller is including the box in the purchase ask them if it still has the original Chanel tissue paper.
CHANEL Red Quilted Lambskin Double Sided Flap Small (Renewed)CHANEL Red Quilted Lambskin Double Sided Flap Small (Renewed)

 

Our Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to buy, or already have a bag that claims to be a vintage Chanel handbag, you now have the resources to authenticate it. You’ll be able to spot a fake vintage Chanel bag and not have to worry about overpaying for an unauthentic purse.

 

About Monica

Hey! I'm Monica. I love showing off my style with the perfect handbag or purse. I tend to love bright flashy bags that really make my fashion sense pop! Hope you enjoy our articles about handbags, purses, and clutches...

3 Comments

  1. Ashley on July 2, 2021 at 10:56 am

    Chanel does actually use lambskin. You can verify that on their website. Thanks.

  2. Nebli on June 27, 2021 at 2:30 am

    Hello,
    So I am currently trying to figure out if the Chanel wallet I have is authentic or not. I have looked endlessly online for a wallet that matches but have not found a single one. I’ve had this wallet for maybe over 10 years and it’s still in the same condition it was when it was gifted to me (it was previously owned and not very well taken care of but I also don’t know how old it was before that). It is a bi fold long wallet with a side for card holding slots, 7 of 9 are functional and and there’s a pocket underneath the card holder slots, the two slots that are not fully functional are obstructed by a magnetic clasp. On the other side there’s a pouch that closes like a old coin pouch and the closing mechanism is very sturdy and not flimsy. Right behind that there’s two divisions that fit bills perfectly, and behind these divisions there’s another division but this works with a zipper, at the end of the zipper there’s a circular cc charm that is heavy. When folded, the wallet measures 18 cm (length) and 10 cm (height). And there’s also another slot in the back. The stitching is pristine and sturdy, there’s no lose threads or anything like that, the lining is not flimsy and definitely not easy to pull on it. There’s that distinctive leather smell, the CC logo overlaps as it should. Now the reason why I’m unsure if it’s a real Chanel wallet or not, is because there are no serial numbers anywhere, no tags, nothing. In the side of the card holding slots at the very bottom there’s an embossed cc logo with the word Chanel underneath it and finally the words made in Paris, those last words are what make me doubt the authenticity of the wallet. Everything else that everyone advices to look for matches exactly expect for the “made in Paris” part of the logo. How can I know if it’s authentic or not when everything else matches perfectly except for that?

  3. Faith on September 30, 2020 at 12:26 pm

    Hi thanks another for the article on authenticating chanel hand bags. Just realised the one I purchased from a vintage store is fake cus the serial number of the bag is listed among the ones written as fake chanel bag..

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.