BOTTEGA VENETA AUTHENTICITY / AUTHENTICATION - PART 1

This is a short guide (certainly not all inclusive) on key items on vintage & newer Bottega Veneta bags that you may want to look at when purchasing Bottega Veneta.

Bottega Veneta bags have gone through phases where metal tags in different styles and fonts, embossings, and authenticity tags (the colorful crest; the brown and white; and the newest one which is the small rectangle) were used.  

VINTAGE:  The first authenticity tags: the large colorful crest (first one below) and the brown and white one (second one below) were sometimes sewn near the zipper on the inner pocket. Many times, owners would cut the tags out or they would get caught on the zippers. There was also a time when there was just a metal plaque with no authenticity tag or a gold, black, or no color embossing into the leather.   There are various types of metal plaques, the most popular shown below. 

VINTAGE AUTHENTICITY TAG EXAMPLES:

NEWEST AUTHENTICITY TAG:

         Be careful!  This tag is now being faked. Watch for fake tags on brown & black & LIMO (clay) Sloane bags, the large woven totes with lock/key and woven leather wallets (some appear to come with authentic looking boxes and dustbags & most are the checkbook size wallets in black, brown and sometimes red).  If you get an authenticity tag you are unsure of, try to match it to your other BV bags or take it to a store that sells BV's and see if you can match your tag there.  The salesperson doesn't even have to be aware of what you're doing :) 

Check the tag for transparency (you shouldn't see letters from the front when looking at the back of the tag - with the exception of tags where the print is so strong that it shows through - these codes sometimes end in letters with no spaces...confirm that the font & color of the numbers/letters used are correct and that the fabric of the authenticity tag is correct and you should be fine), the fabric used (should be thick with texture), perforations or gentle "tearing" (for lack of a better word) on the edges, font, and colors.  Also, note that the serial numbers on a brown sloane are somewhat different than the ones for a black sloane!  Watch for an authentic looking authenticity tag on a black sloane with the WRONG color code numbers!  Quite frankly, when it comes to Sloane BV's, I'd only buy from the most reputable of sellers...remember - store receipts can be faked, too.

Best to not buy a newer Bottega without seeing this authenticity tag in pictures!!  It's much easier not to buy than to file dispute & try to return bag which can take months to resolve...

METAL PLAQUE EXAMPLES (there are many more, but I'm only allowed 10 pictures per guide)

GOLD EMBOSSING (see PART 3 for more embossings):

NEW BAGS and WALLETS:  It's the newer bags and wallets you'll need to look at more closely. All newer bags need to have the small rectangle cotton authenticity tags - they are sewn into the lining and there is little chance that they would be torn or removed by a normal person SEE NEWEST TAG above. Same with wallets. Some smaller coin purses, jewelry, animal shaped coin purses, candle holders. key holders, etc. may not have authenticity tags because there are too tiny or of unusual shape. Look for the Bottega Veneta name somewhere in an embossing or branded into the hardware/metal.  Check out the BV website and other retailers to see if you can find your item if it is in the current season.  If you need more pictures to verify authenticity, make sure you get them before bidding. 

(See PART 2 for further examples.  See PART 3 for additional examples of embossing & engravings.  See PART 4 for sleeper bag/ dust bag examples. See PART 5 for more examples of button closures, etc.  See PART 6 for size comparisons.  Other guides include vintage & newer mirrors and another on leather/skin care for your shoes, purses and accessories).

ZIPPERS: Zippers are high quality and sewn so they lay flat with no buckling.  Most of the zippers are goldtone, however, depending on the style & color of bag, the zipper could be a different metal or plastic (in the case of certain older bags and newer outlet bags).

THE NO's:  No ultra suede linings, no expensive bags (i.e. the large woven leather lock tote bags that retail for $2650) with non leather/suede linings, no newer style bags without authenticity tags, no newer wallets without authenticity tags.  Look at the details and compare it to a seller's bag that you know is authentic or a reputable website.  Ideally, if you can find a similar model at a high end department store or the boutique, then you can see the styles in person and touch the leathers & review how they are made.

PRICE DOESN'T ALWAYS PROVE AUTHENTICITY: Authentic items can be listed for great prices!  Some sellers start low and hope that the item will be bid up; some sellers don't know the value of their item and price it low.  On the other side, I've seen fake woven totes listed for over $3,000!  Please remember that many of these bags are limited at the stores and in production - if a seller has multiples of an expensive item, you may want to ask more questions before bidding.

Remember: If you question that an item is authentic, it's best to pass on bidding! 

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