Hi N., here's some info...
1. If it is a signature piece, the C's will start centered and go out from there. If it is leather, it will feel buttery smooth.
2. The stitching and hardware. The stitching will be tight, even and straight. There should be no loose strands or restitching. Most hardware is stamped Coach, like the snaps or buckles. You may have to really look for the stamp, like on the backs of buckles. The hardware is not cheap looking nor will it peel or crack.
3. The hangtag. It is usually leather, the same color and stitching as the bag itself. The Coach lozenge is raised from the tag, not embedded into it. On my bags, the lozenge is only stamped on one side of the tag.There are a few styles that come with metal hangtags. But, look at the metal hangtags at the link below to see what they look like. Most counterfeit come with cheap, shiny silver hangtags.
4. The lining. Signature bags never have signature lining.
5. The zippers. Coach uses YKK zippers. The logo is usually found on the side of the metal zipper pull. Coach zipper pulls are either leather, the same color/stitching as the bag or a series of metal rings.
5. Unless it is a small piece, like a wristlet, there is a creed and registration number on the inside. It is a leather patch sewn into the lining of the bag. The creed will be written in justified, capital english letters. The abbreviation No. is followed by a letter, then a one or two digit year code. For example, 6 for 1996, 06 for 2006. After the year code is another letter or one or two digits, the a dash. The numbers after the dash are the style number of the bag. If it is a factory store bag, it will either have an F before the style number or a bullseye stamp in one of the upper creed corners. If it were bought through a resale store, like TJ Maxx, there will be an X stamp on the creed.
However, counterfeit bags copy a lot of these details, so to tell the difference, you have to know the real thing. You can go to an authorized dealer to familiarize yourself and/or see the link below. On this authenticating page, there are tips and pictures of real and fake to help learn the difference,
http://www.ebelle5.com/counterfeits/coac...