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Hermes Birkin handbag sells for £162,500 in Christie's auction

A Hermes diamond and Himalayan Nilo Crocodile Birkin handbag in 2014 - Reuters
A Hermes diamond and Himalayan Nilo Crocodile Birkin handbag in 2014 - Reuters

One of the world’s most expensive handbags in the world - the Hermes Birkin - has sold for £162,500 in a Christie’s auction. The 2015 Himalaya niloticus crocodile Birkin 35 exceeded its predicted sales price of £70-90,000.

The sale makes it the second most expensive handbag ever sold at auction, after the record was broken in 2018 when the Matte Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Birkin 35 with 18k White Gold & Diamond Hardware went for £236,750.

Named after the actor and singer Jane Birkin, Birkin bags are notoriously exclusive fashion accessories that are hugely popular with celebrities and collectors.

Fashion designer Victoria Beckham’s collection of more than 100 Birkins is reportedly worth more than £1.5m.

Bidders from 41 countries, across six continents, participated in the auction - which took place on Tuesday - with sales of 243 lots totalling £3.4m.

Other items on sale that received well over their expected price included a 2017 Chanel black lucite and crystal rocket ship evening bag, which was estimated to sell for £6,000-8,000 but went for £21,250, and a 2010 shiny amethyst alligator bag, which was given the same estimate, but sold for £18,750.

Rachel Koffsky, Christie's head of handbags and accessories in London, said: “We are delighted with the results of today’s Handbags and Accessories auction, which reflects the maturing market for handbags around the world.

“With a full saleroom, a packed phonebank, and bidding from across the globe, the auction demonstrates the international demand for collectable and rare handbags.”