First Birkin bag made by Hermès sells for record US$10 million at Paris auction
The price smashed the previous record, held by a Hermès Kelly 28 that fetched nearly US$513,000 in 2021 at Christie’s in Hong Kong
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First Birkin bag made by Hermès sells for record US$10 million at Paris auction
The first-ever Birkin bag designed by French luxury brand Hermès for celebrity Jane Birkin sold for €8.58 million (US$10 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris on Thursday, smashing previous price records for a handbag.
The modern design classic, owned by a Paris-based handbag collector, sparked a telephone bidding war up to €7 million, with the final sale price set at €8.58 million with commission and fees, the Sotheby’s website showed.
“After weeks of anticipation, the bidding opened at €1 million – prompting a gasp from the room,” Sotheby’s said in a statement.
The final buyer, who eclipsed eight other rivals, was a “private collector from Japan”, the auction house added, without giving further details.
The previous record price for a handbag at auction was set by a diamond-encrusted crocodile skin Hermès Kelly 28, which fetched US$513,000 in 2021 at Christie’s in Hong Kong.