The original Hermès Birkin bag, once owned by Jane Birkin, sold for a record $10 million at Sotheby's Paris on July 10, 2025. This prototype bag, custom-designed for Birkin in 1984, showcases her initials and unique personal touches. It was carried daily from 1985 to 1994 and has a rich history, changing hands between collectors and appearing in major exhibitions. The auction featured intense competition, starting at €1 million and resulting in a final bid of €8.6 million from a private collector in Japan, doubling the previous handbag auction record.
The original Hermès Birkin bag, once owned by Jane Birkin, sold for $10 million at Sotheby's Paris, making it the most valuable handbag ever auctioned.
This was the first prototype, custom-designed for Jane Birkin in 1984, after she sketched her ideal bag on an airplane sickness bag.
The bag features personal touches, including Birkin's initials, silver nail clippers, and sticker outlines from Médecins du Monde and UNICEF.
The bidding for the bag began at €1 million and concluded at €8.6 million, with the final bid placed by a Japanese collector.
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