In 1984 on a flight to Paris from London, Hermès CEO Jean Louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin and the two of them ended up having a conversation where the famed actress vented about the impracticality of having her handbag on a flight. Louis Dumas then sat down with Jane to brainstorm and sketch what the ideal handbag would look like - one that would be both stylish and practical. Dumas made some tweaks to an old 1900's bag design, adding several compartments to it. This gave birth to the now world-famous Hermès Birkin bag.
A Birkin bag can be identified by its flap top, dual handles, and a lock and key mechanism with the keys enclosed in a ‘clochette’. Though every Birkin bag since the original has had these features, the bag has been reinvented many times, resulting in a few limited-edition models that have gone on to become some of the most famous in the bag’s history. Below we list the most expensive Hermès Birkin handbags ever sold.
7 of the Priciest Birkin Bags in the World
Sac Bijou Birkin $2 million
The most expensive Birkin bag in the world is, surprisingly, not to be used as a handbag but intended to be worn as a bracelet. Pierre Hardy, the creative director of fine jewellery at Hermès, released the Haute Bijouterie Collection in 2012, a stunning collection of handbag-inspired jewellery. The standout piece from the collection was the Sac Bijou Birkin, a miniaturised Birkin bag that was created with rose gold and adorned with 2,712 diamonds weighing 89 carats. The top flap of the bag was made to resemble crocodile skin while the body, top handles, touret, Cadena lock, and clochette were covered in diamonds. Only 3 Sac Bijou Birkins were ever made, each with a $2 million price tag.
Platinum Birkin By Ginza Tanaka $1.9 Million
In 2015 Hermès released a very special Birkin in collaboration with famed Japanese jeweller Ginza Tanaka, which resulted in one of the priciest Birkin bags to ever be made. The posh handbag was completely encrusted with 2,182 diamonds and featured a striking 8-carat pear-shaped centrepiece paired with a platinum exterior. It is designed in such a way that the diamond-studded strap can be removed and worn as a necklace or a bracelet, and the purse can be carried as a clutch.
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Himalaya Crocodile Diamond Birkin $450,000
When it comes to Birkins, the Himalayas are one of the most desirable ones. Crocodile skin Birkins are very rare and so is a Birkin embellished with factory diamonds. When you combine all three, it is clear what makes this one of the most coveted Birkin bags ever made. In 2022, Sotheby's auctioned off a 30 Himalaya Crocodile Diamond Birkin for over $450,000, setting a new record for the bag. The colouring of the Birkin bag is intended to evoke the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas and is paired with 18-carat white gold hardware studded with white diamonds. The iconic Cadena lock is embellished with 40 white round brilliant diamonds totalling 1.64 carats and uses 68.4 grams of 18-carat white gold. The main structural elements of the Birkin, which includes the touret, the pontets, and the plaques de Sanglots, are encrusted with 200 diamonds weighing a total of 8.2 carats. This bag is highly sought after amongst collectors and is in high demand with or without diamonds.
Matte Alligator Faubourg Birkin $400,000
The Faubourg collection of Birkin bags is considered to be one of the most desirable out of all Birkin bags. The bag pays homage to the Hermès flagship store at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. The flagship store was relocated to the street in 1880 by CEO Charles-Émile Hermès and has remained there since. The bag resembles the storefront with details like window frames and Epsom glass and features a Clochette shaped like a Hermès shopping bag. The bag uses 5 types of leather in its construction which includes alligator skin, Sombrero leather, and chèvre leather. The awnings of all Faubourg Birkins are done in Hermès’ iconic Orange H Swift colour. Out of the four colourways that were introduced, the white or snow Birkin Faubourg Birkin remains the most expensive. Adding to the exclusivity are the platinum hardware, matte alligator skin top flap, and alligator skin handles. This was also the first time a Birkin was made in the 20-centimetre size.
Géranium Crocodile Diamond Birkin 35 $288,200
A statement Hermès 35 cm Birkin bag, this Géranium Crocodile Diamond Birkin in pristine condition fetched almost $300,000 at an auction in 2018. The bag features a porous crocodile skin finished in a deep and glossy red colour. Compared to other Geranium models this one came with 18-carat white gold and diamond hardware. The inside is finished in red leather, with a zipper pocket using a Hermès engraved zipper pull and an open pocket on the opposite side.
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Matte Niloticus Crocodile So Black Birkin 30 $208,000
This rare and limited edition matte black Niloticus Crocodile Birkin from 2010 was sold at an auction in Hong Kong in 2019 for just over $200,000, quadrupling its low estimate. It was designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier who was famous for designing costumes for Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, and served as the creative director for Hermès between 2003 and 2010. In his final collection for the fashion house, he released a line of handbags called "So Black". The collection featured the limited-edition matte Niloticus Crocodile 30. Like the Himalayan Birkin, these were made of the skins of Nile crocodiles but were dyed in a matte black colour and featured a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), an almost black metal hardware. The bags from the ‘So Black’ collection featured black packaging and will never be produced again. To this day it remains the only bag collection in Hermès history to come with all-black hardware.
Metallic Silver Chèvre Birkin 25 $139,230
The Metallic Birkin bag was a limited-edition handbag released by Hermes in 2005, paying tribute to the 35 years of stunning window displays created by Leïla Menchari for their flagship Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré storefront. The metallic Birkins are smaller compared to conventional Birkins, measuring only 25 centimetres across the base. These bags are fashioned from chèvre leather and come in either silver with palladium hardware or bronze with gold hardware. To produce the metallic finish, artisans at Hermès had to add so much dye to the leather that its texture started to change, giving it a unique look and feel. Sotheby's has sold four metallic Birkins with the most expensive one, a Metallic Silver Hermès Birkin 25 selling for $139,000 in April 2022.
Final Take
A regular Birkin bag takes up to 40 hours for a single artisan to create by hand. Limited edition Birkin bags take much longer and have become somewhat of an asset class. These bags are the only female-centric collecting category and their demand has been rising exponentially. Many factors contribute to the price of a Birkin. The scarcity is the biggest factor, as it is next to impossible to go over to a Hermès store to pick up a Birkin you like. Stores are only allowed to stock a few Birkin bags with new stock coming in twice a year, and there’s no guarantee that a design you like will be available in-store. Additionally, if you do not have a purchase history with the brand and a relationship with the store, it becomes much harder to secure a Birkin bag. This naturally drives prices up on the secondary market, which has turned them into investment pieces rather than fashion accessories.
