Jane Birkin’s original Hermès bag has been sold at auction for $10.1 million, setting a new record as the most expensive handbag ever auctioned. The black leather prototype was originally sketched by Birkin on an airplane in 1981 and crafted specifically for her by Hermès, delivered in 1985. Birkin used the bag daily until 1994, decorating it with stickers from Médecins du Monde and UNICEF and adding personal items like a nail clipper, distinguishing it from all later Birkin bags.
The Sotheby’s auction in Paris involved a ten-minute bidding contest among nine collectors, with a private buyer from Japan winning the final bid. The sale surpassed the previous handbag auction record held by a diamond and crocodile Kelly bag sold in 2021 and a white-diamond Himalaya Birkin sold in 2022.
Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, Morgane Halimi, described the sale as a significant moment, noting that a bag originally designed for practicality has become the most desirable in history. The price reflects not only the rarity and condition of the bag but also its cultural and historical value tied to Birkin herself, who passed away in 2023.
