Bag Baggers: A bonanza of Hermes Birkin bags fetch top dollar at auction

On the very rare occasion that a Hermès Birkin bag comes up for auction, it offers buyers an irresistible opportunity to jump the minimum two-year queue for this notoriously luxurious item of ladies’ luggage.

Hermes Birkin Bag Bonanza

Imagine the delight, then, when news rippled across high-end Hong Kong that the local Christie’s had somehow managed to wrangle a whopping seven of them into one of its most-widely-anticipated-ever winter sales. Sure enough, with a brigade of Birkin-bereft buyers making a beeline for the auction house, it was no surprise that total takings for the much-talked about-totes topped US$5.5 million, with half of their bags going for well beyond the initial estimates.

Hermes Birkin bags sold at auction

While none of the items of haute handbaggery failed to impress, most impressive of all was the Rare Matte White Himalaya Nilocticus Crocodile Retourné Kelly 28 with Palladium Hardware (2015), which went for a rather grand US$208,644 – more than double the estimate of US$77,038. Also of note was the sale of a Rare, Shiny Ombré Salvator Lizard Birkin 25 with Gold Hardware (2007), which went for US$60,988, and a Shiny Black Porosus Crocodile Sellier Mini Kelly 20 with Gold Hardware (1994) that went for a cool US$56,173.

Hermès bags: How much is too much for a clutch?

With handbags now just as valued for their aesthetic appeal and investment value as for their durability and capacity, it should be no surprise that at the very forefront of this trend are two of the very finest examples of lady luggage ever produced by Hermès, the Paris-headquartered high-fashion luxury goods manufacturer – the Birkin and the Kelly.

Hermès

Indeed, these two collections alone account for 90% of all the haute couture handbags that ever come up for auction. Their auctionability, though, is down to much more than just their desirability, with availability also playing a huge role. Typically, even those fortunate enough to get on a waiting list will have to endure a two-year interval before their very own Hermès materialises.

Hermès

Inevitably then, this has inspired a bristling resale market, with many haute couture hankerers only too happy to pay well over the odds to secure their preferred choice of Hermès clutch. Even against such a backdrop, though, it is still somewhat remarkable that a joint lot of two 2010 Birkins went for a massive US$330,000 at the recent Handbags and Accessories Sale held by Christie’s Hong Kong.