Comparing a fake and an authentic Mulberry bag





The purpose of this post is just to look at the difference between a fake and an authentic Mulberry bag. I have grown an affinity with it, especially reading online on Mulberry’s humble beginnings in England.

But yesterday, I bought a secondhand fake Mulberry Alexa from a seller here in the Philippines with the intention of getting that turn lock hardware in the postman’s lock for my Mulberry Bayswater. (I wrote a post on the Mulberry Piccadilly hardware here, so you can see the postman’s lock for it). Upon inspecting the item, I saw the stark difference between the hardware of an authentic and a fake Mulberry bag. It was my first opportunity to closely handle and inspect a fake Mulberry and I thought this post might be of interest to new Mulberry lovers out there.

The photos below are just a guide to differentiate the hardware, without discussing much of what makes them different because the counterfeiters might be reading. =)

Authentic Mulberry disc versus Fake Mulberry Disc - Manila, Philippines

Authentic Mulberry disc versus Fake Mulberry disc

Look at the details of an authentic Mulberry disc (L) compared to the fake Mulberry disc (R). See the difference between the shape of the leaves and a major give away was the shape of the trunk.

Authentic Mulberry metal plate versus fake Mulberry metal plate - Manila, Philippines

Authentic Mulberry metal plate versus fake Mulberry metal plate

The same thing can be said about the metal plate engraved with the Mulberry tree. The authentic one (top) has better definition of details compared to the fake (bottom) metal plate. You can even see how the fake one has leaves connected to one another.








But I’ve also seen fake Bayswater bags with leaves that are separated from one another but the trunk shape still looks off.

Authentic Mulberry zipper pull versus fake Mulberry zipper pull - Manila, Philippines

Authentic Mulberry zipper pull versus fake Mulberry zipper pull

 

As for the zipper pull, more than the sloppy engraving on the fake one (right), you can see how it is different from the authentic one (left) by looking at the overall shape of the hardware. The edges are particular points of interest in looking at the zipper pull.

Authentic Mulberry buckle versus fake Mulberry buckle - Manila, Philippines

Authentic Mulberry buckle versus fake Mulberry buckle

The buckle from an authentic Mulberry Bayswater (top) looked extremely finished and detailed compared to the buckle of a fake Mulberry Alexa (bottom). You can see how the letters were nicely engraved on the authentic buckle, while the bottom one was handled by careless hands.

Authentic Mulberry discs - one with a serial number and one without - Manila, Philippines

Authentic Mulberry discs – one with a serial number and one without

Vintage Mulberry serial number on a wexford and canvas messenger

Vintage Mulberry serial number on a wexford and canvas messenger

Mulberry Tillie Washed Denim - fob and serial number

Much modern: Mulberry Tillie Washed Denim – fob and serial number

Mulberry Blenheim with a blank fob

Mulberry Blenheim with a blank fob

Another blank one from this Mulberry Ledbury

Another blank one from this Mulberry Ledbury

And another oldie font on this Mulberry Jamie bag, look how it was a number away from the infamous 026904 =)

And another oldie font on this Mulberry Jamie bag, look how it was a number away from the infamous 026904 =)








Mulberry coin fob and no serial number - Authentic Mulberry bag

Coin fob with no serial number in this Mulberry Roxanne Bag

Mulberry-Jacquetta

Coin fob with no serial number in this Mulberry Jacquetta bag in chocolate Darwin leather

Mulberry serial number for an Ethan briefcase

(Added on 27 July 2017) Coin fob and serial number of a Mulberry Ethan briefcase (also observe the jacquard Mulberry lining)

Mulberry serial number for a darwin leather messenger bag

(Added on 27 July 2017) Coin fob and serial number for a Mulberry messenger bag with Darwin leather

Last but not the least, the serial number. Mulberry is known to have produced items WITH and WITHOUT serial numbers, as well as WITH and WITHOUT those discs/coins on older styles. From what I’ve read from the Purse Forum, it depends on what year the bag was made. The Mulberry disc to the left on the first pic was from my Mulberry Bayswater, while the one to the right was from my Mulberry wexford leather messenger. The one below it (albeit tarnished, LOL) was from the same style of vintage Mulberry messenger but with canvas body and wexford leather parts.

(ETA 11/12/2014: also take note, the font itself changes through the years. The blue one above was from a Mulberry Tillie in washed denim. Take note of the difference between it and the two vintage wexfords before it.).

But in any case, when asking about the serial number of a bag from the seller or seeing that the serial number is the infamous 026904 like the one below, run away. It is the most fakest (redundancy needed for emphasis) serial number ever! Mulberry serial numbers may be randomly assigned, but they are unique and knowing the number can help to disprove authenticity!

The most faked serial number of Mulberry Bags: "026904" - Mulberry, Philippines

But then again, I can’t speak for the bags they call as “Euro Exact Copy” or “7A”. So always ask for detailed pictures from the seller of the hardware, and if the serial number was not shown… still ask! Do your business somewhere else if the seller proves to be uncooperative and save yourself the possible hassle. When in doubt, you can have them authenticated at the Purse Forum in the “Authenticate this Mulberry” thread.








I already remember the other infamously faked serial number! I have combed my email and found this photo sent by a seller of a fake Mulberry laptop bag last year:

Fake Mulberry Bag serial number: 275288 - Manila, Philippines

So aside from 026904  watch out for Mulberry bags with the serial number 275288 because that is 99.99% fake, my friend. Other serial numbers to watch out for are 025869, 252136258798932351, 924565,    207542346352249328257528327448254571262541, 565321, 373140, 757156, 144188, 329116, 240535 and 258668.

(From a seller on Ebay.ph of a fake Mulberry patent shoulder bag)

Mulberry Bayswater FAKE Serial number 025869 - Ebay.ph Manila, Philippines

(From another seller of a fake Mulberry Bayswater on Ebay.ph, see it has the same number as the patent one above? And the same wrong font as well.)

Fake Mulberry Serial Number 565321 - Fake vs. Authentic Mulberry Bag

Mulberry Fake Serial Number - 327448

Fake bag - Mulberry 968327

Mulberry fake serial number 565321

Mulberry fake serial number 932351

Mulberry fake serial number 329116

Mulberry 994889

Mulberry 207542

Mulberry Alexa Designer Bag 565321 Lovinyourbags

Mulberry Small Bag 254571 lurleene

And an Alexa sold for Php 30,000! Whoa! Just looking at the fraying “leather” is enough to see that it is not leather at all. Tsk.

And this fake Tillie at Php 45,000 (that is more than $1,000 for a fake.)

Mulberry Roxanne bag fake serial number 025869

Mulberry Tillie denim bag fake serial number 373140

Mulberry Blenheim bag fake serial number 026904

Mulberry Alexa bag fake serial number 373140

Remember, serial numbers should be 99.99% UNIQUE!

Helpful tip, Google “Mulberry <serial number of your bag”>, and if another bag with the SAME serial number appears, it is very likely that you have a fake bag (unless you got the first ever bag with that number. IT DEFINITELY EXISTS SOMEWHERE OUT THERE.) I do not have all the numbers of all fake serials but, again, it should be unique. Sorry for the keyword spamming of those known Mulberry serial fakes, but if that is needed to serve as a caveat to potential buyers, so be it.








When all else fails, or you are not too confident with your research and scrutinizing bags yourself, the best way is to buy directly from Mulberry. But where to buy Mulberry bag online? Mulberry.com offers shipping globally, as well as authorized department stores/distributors and very trusted resellers, thus your Mulberry bag is always a click away!

ETA:
As of July 8, 2014 or more than two years since I’ve made this post, about 40% of my blog views concern this Mulberry post (Google Mulberry + serial number ) . I’ve been getting a lot of emails from readers as well on how helpful this blog post was, and I cannot imagine the number of people who averted buying fakes because of this. Do your research and good luck! =)

————————

 

ETA: (20 June 2016)

I posted a recent entry with this fake serial number ‘026904’ https://bryologue.com/fools-gold-fake-mulberry-brouhaha/ 

————————

ETA: (27 July 2017)

So, it is already 2017 but this post remains as the top page in my blog. However, I’d like to ask for apologies since I have left this page and forgot to add more photos.

When this post was first published on 01 July 2012, my attention was initially on that Mulberry turnlock (or properly called postman’s lock). Why have I not uploaded a photo of an authentic Mulberry postman’s lock? Better late than never, so I am adding its photo, along with other hardware.

Detail of the Mulberry tree logo on the disc of the Mulberry postman's lock

Detail of the Mulberry tree logo on the disc of the Mulberry postman’s lock

Profile shot of an authentic Mulberry postman's lock from a leather messenger bag

Profile shot of an authentic Mulberry postman’s lock from a leather messenger bag

Close-up shot of the Mulberry logo in the hardware of a removal canvas strap

Close-up shot of the Mulberry logo in the hardware of a removal canvas strap

Close-up of the Mulberry stud, showing the Mulberry logo in this Ethan briefcase bag

Close-up of the Mulberry stud, showing the Mulberry logo in this Ethan briefcase bag

Detailed shot of the stud in a Mulberry Roxanne bag showing the clear Mulberry logo

Detailed shot of the stud in a Mulberry Roxanne bag showing the clear Mulberry logo

An example of an M6 RiRi zipper used in Mulberry bags

An example of an M6 RiRi zipper used in Mulberry bags (usualy used in main compartment)

Close-up of an M4 RiRi zipper used in Mulberry bags

Close-up of an M4 RiRi zipper used in Mulberry bags (used in smaller zipped area such as pockets)

bryologue

89 Comments

  1. I am a new collector of Mulberry bags, and this is really helpful! thanks a lot

    • Hi! No problem and I’m really happy that I helped you! I was almost burned by fakes before as well and I reckon new Mulberry lovers will immediately search for the serial numbers most especially! *hugs*

  2. hello my friend! i really really find your blog very informative with regards to mulberry bags. i am an avid mulberry collector myself.i have a mullberry darwin emmy in oak and a mulberry mitzy tote. however, i was disappointed to see a fake mulberry bag and much to my dismay it had a serial number 565321 which is the serial number of my mulberry mitzy tote which i bought in sommerset,england last 2009..its very distressing..

  3. Hi. Unfortunately I’m now the not so proud owner of another serial number 565321, on a Mulberry Bayswater.

    It was a treat for my daughter, who has has a rough time recently, so I avoided eBay in case I ended up with a fake, only to find that the people who run the site at http://www.mulberryhandbagsstore.co.uk are not as ligitimate as they portray, and neither are their products.

    I have since contacted them, and they offered to settle by letting us keep the bag and refund 20% of the costand I quote “As return will waste a lot of time and money on it, also there will be risky on the way.”

    I chose to decline the offer of settlement, as I dont trust it will happen, so insisted on a full refund. So far they have not contacted me again.

    • Sorry for the extremely late reply. 🙁 I personally think you have better chances of running into authentic ones on Ebay (given that you do your research and carefully ask questions), than from websites purporting as Mulberry’s official site. Hopefully you get your refund as well. We all get burned at one point and it makes us more careful. I hope your daughter is doing fine now.

  4. Just to let you know that my Anthony, bought in a House Of Fraser in Feb 2012, has 7 digit serial number.
    Thank you for this really helpful guide. I’m looking to buy a second hand Bayswater & in one day I found three with serial number 565321. I’ve found that you really have to read between the lines & if it doesn’t feel right, it usually isn’t!

    • Wow I realized I haven’t replied to this >_< I'm hoping you already found a Bayswater of your own, cheers! <3

  5. Ladies, don’t dismiss eBay!! Sometimes, if you are lucky and thorough enough, you can get something really decent!! Like me, who just bought Mitzy hobo in a rearest “Rouge Noire” colour for just a fraction of original price and it’s absolutely authentic!! Though I’m still in a process of DIY-renovation of my bag, I love it and it makes me sooo happy!! So, eBay is a great source, just know your stuff. Bryologue, thanks so much for a detailed article, it was very helpful.

    • Yes! Doing our homework is always a good start. We just need to make informed decisions. Congrats on your Mitzy! ^_^

  6. Thank you Bry!!! By the way, some of your projects (Leather dying and repair) helped me a lot with my renovation and you inspired me to write the article about it, maybe someone will find it useful. Please keep your a good job!!

  7. Thanks a LOT!!! Sooo detailed and so well illustrated with photos – WELL DONE 🙂
    You are sure to have saved a few people from wasting their money.

  8. Thanks Bry,

    I thought I’d come across a real find when I stumbled on a “Mulberry” Messenger Bag in a charity shop. Thanks to your fascinating and thoroughly researched piece I now know that it’s a fake!! It has the 029604 tag. I definitely won’t be trying to sell it on eBay!!

    Take care,

    Colette

    • No problem! Just make sure you take note of all these points. And when in doubt, you can always consult ‘The Purse Forum’ for added assurance. 😀

  9. Thank you so much Bry. These informations are very clear and so helpful ! I was interested in a second hand Alexa with number … 565321 ! I believe the seller does not know that the bag is fake. I feel that I should tell him. Warm regards, Juliette

    • Hi Juliette! Good to know you dodged a bullet! So happy you saved your moolah!!!

  10. was going to buy a pre loved mulberry bayswater with no. 275288, great to find this post before complete the trade.

  11. This is the most comprehensive authentication guide for Mulberry. Thank you for putting in the work. It is very helpful!

  12. Just bought mulberry bag in a second hand shop thought I got lucky as it was selling for £25 and the woman sai. It was mulberry the bag looked like the real thing but after reading this article I’ve relised it was a fake , the number on the bag is 026904 just the the two others on this website , this article was really helpful lucky I didn’t pay much for mine , but Iam gonna return it thank u

  13. I bought mulberry bag from second hand store, I didn’t know what I was buying , just like the bag soft leather. I just check online to see what the bag sale for, I got lesson on mulberry bag. I found out it’s not authentic serious number 565321. I still like my bag only cost me $7.00. Even with all the tips it was still hard to identified fake from real everything look real except for the serial number that you said for fake. I thank you for the information.

  14. I bought a fake. I don’t mind though, I love the bag. I picked it up for 20 bucks. I loved this post though!

    • Awwww I hope you have a good find soon as sometimes an authentic one will be around 20 bucks as well. Good luck!

  15. I have a black leather Darwin bag
    serial 1025858 brand new brought back as a present for my son
    is it fake please

    • Without seeing the pic itself, it would be difficult to tell. But I have seen several fake bags with 1025858 online. Like what I said, you could have the first authentic bag that carries the number.

    • I have purchased a tan coloured Anthony bag with the same code
      Are there other bags with the same code or should there be only 1?

      • Most likely they have to be unique, not unless you had the very first one with this code.

  16. Thank you so much for your site. I have been able to determine (I think) that I have got a genuine Mulberry bag, when I first saw it I did wonder if I had been sold a rogue as it didn’t have the I’D disc. Your site is just brilliant. Thank you again.

  17. Wow fabulously stumbled on your great post. Shame it wasn’t before I took a gamble and bought 2 bags off of ebay. Just checked serial numbers, tags etc all looked promising except internal pocket zips on both bags do not have any riri or mulberry branding:-( Am I to assume they are both very good fakes and not old bags no one had any use for? Roxanne & Mitzi

  18. Hi i have a Mulberry bag with 8 serial numbers it is 10398533 is it fake?
    The person says that she bought it in New York for 2 years ago

  19. Hi, I am very interested to purchase a pre-owned mini Cara with serial number 2068730. Would like to seek your help to authenticate. How do I send you the pictures?

    • Hi, please upload the photos on Photobucket or Tinypic then put the links here.

  20. I’m planning to buy Mulberry bag from second hand store, with serial number 2152205. Is it the authentic one or not?

  21. Hi! Thank you for doing this blog entry. Been wanting to get the alexa. I was able to find one, I’m just skeptical because the lining is black instead of the jacquard. Seller says that’s normal and her item is authentic. Would like to ask your thoughts. Thank you very much

  22. Hi,
    I pursued an older mulberry bag, for just 53,- with no serial number, but the typical tartan pattern inside, leather sticker with mulberry company in it, as well
    an old white label ” fabrique en angleterre”. The leather is scotch grain dark brown, a saddle crossover bag, the “string is made from material, not leather.
    On the bucketts it is “stamped” mulberry as well.
    If you wish, I could send a foto.
    Kind reagrds,
    Belle

  23. Hi
    Just wanted to know, was the mulberry serial disc ever silver colour

    • Hi Yvonne! No red flags for this Mulberry interior stamp. But a photo of the serial number will also help.

  24. Your posts have been extremely helpful. I have fallen for the fake serial number!
    I have recently purchased a mulberry tillie tote bag everything looks right, but I’m concerned that the inner zip teeth are nylon and the zip does not have riri or the mulberry tree logo on. Did mulberry do blank zip backs ?

  25. Hi I have just bought a mulberry bag for £5 from charity shop.
    The serial number is 648208 it has a black made in England label in side with a D on the back. The zip has Riri m6 on 2 zip pockets and the mail zip has Riri m8.
    It came with a maroon dust bag with a gold tree on the corner, one on the front one on the back.
    Do you think it could be genuine.
    Many thanks.

    • Hi Sheryl! So far, I see no red flags with what you have described. But to be sure, perhaps you can upload photos online (like Imgur) then post the links in the comments so I can have a look. Happy holidays!

  26. Shame I only ever checked the code of my newly purchased mulberry bag after it was paid for and shipped. In fairness to the seller she just told us to self authenticate but maybe that’s the reason why it was sold cheap and nobody bought it (well excpet for me lol)Pheww however I am more determined to buy Mulberry now haha

  27. Hi I recently bought a Mulberry Oversized Alexa, Black Soft Buffalo Leather Bag, serial number is 1195780. You know generally Alexa serial numbers starting with 50. I am a bit suspicious about it. Will you kindly tell me what you think. Thanks a lot.

  28. I have seen two mulberry oversized Alexas for sale one serial no 1134819 and one 975869 are these fake or genuine please

  29. Amazing that a blog you wrote 8 years ago is still helping people 😍 You’ve just saved me looking at a couple of duds and made me ask questions of the ones not showing serial numbers on eBay. I’m also pretty sure my Joni is genuine from your advice and that from other websites (lightly etched serial number, riri zips and beautifully crafted zip pulls)
    Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom.
    Jodie

    • And it took me until New Year to check my blog again! So happy that this has helped you, Jodie! Take care and have a Happy New Year!

  30. Hi there,

    I have a Bayswater from eBay, that I’m sure is genuine but has no tag. You are the first person I’ve seen say this is possible. Can you say what evidence you have for this? Have you seen others? Mine has a Riri zip and lovely, supple, strong ‘Darwin’ leather, and looks great, and the seller said she’d got it back when the Bayswater was still pretty new. This all make sense to me but is so hard to get back up. Any comment appreciated.

  31. Hi, your the first person I’ve seen (and I’ve looked hard) say that some Mulberry Bayswater’s didn’t have a metal disc. And this matters to me as I have one from eBay with no disc or ‘made in England’ tag. Seller said it was from back when it was a new design; around 2010 pr 2011? quality seems great and the back zip is Riri, and it was really hard to check – no-one could see it as the leather is strong and hard to bend, but I found out by inking my finger then pressing a bit of paper on to get the impression. Hard to imagine a fake would be like this? All other metal and mulberry tree on lock look very real. What do you think? Were some early ones made without the metal tag, (which obviously many fakes do have, so why not put a fake one on?). Thanks

  32. Hi, I bought mulberry bags at a second-hand shop, unfortunately, both of the serial numbers were included in your list. Now, I am quite worried. If possible can I send photos to you? How?

  33. Hi there, thanks for your informative post. I recently bought a Mulberry suit carrier on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284641653662. It is as new, apart from the dust bag it came in. The leather feels high quality and craftmanship looks good, but this is my first such item and wondering if you can give a second opinion on authenticity from the photos linked above. The inspection sticker inside marks ‘produced in 2002’, it was made in china. Thanks in advance.

Leave a Reply to Jo Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *