Jane Birkin’s Personal Hermès Birkin Bag Sells for $10.1 Million
A handbag once carried by actress Jane Birkin has just made auction history. Sotheby’s Paris sold her original Hermès Birkin for over $10.1 million, setting a new record as the most expensive handbag ever sold. The sale happened on July 10, 2025, and ended with a Japanese collector winning after a brief but intense bidding war.
The bag wasn’t in mint condition, but that added to its appeal. It was the original 1984 prototype, showing signs of daily use. Jane Birkin engraved it with her initials, attached a shoulder strap, and decorated it with stickers and her silver nail clippers.
Hermès chairman Jean-Louis Dumas designed it after Jane Birkin explained she needed a better travel bag. He sketched it during their flight, and that moment launched one of fashion’s most iconic designs.
- Sold for €8.6 million ($10.1 million)
- Auctioned July 10, 2025, at Sotheby’s Paris
- Nine bidders joined; a Japanese collector won by phone
- Personalized with initials, stickers, and accessories
- Previously auctioned for charity in 1994 and again in 2000
Sotheby’s described the sale as a milestone: “Jane Birkin didn’t treat this bag as a trophy. She wore it, lived with it, and made it her own.”
With this record-breaking result, the Birkin prototype becomes the second-most valuable fashion artifact ever sold.
More…
- https://people.com/jane-birkin-hermes-birkin-bag-sells-at-sothebys-auction-for-whopping-amount-11769928
- https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/original-birkin-bag-sells-auction-record-10-million-2025-07-10
- https://news.artnet.com/art-world/hermes-birkin-bag-sale-sothebys-2666475
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