Overview

• On July 10, Sotheby’s Paris “Fashion Icons” sale saw the original Birkin bag fetch €8.58 million including fees, overtaking all previous records for a handbag at auction.
• The sale opened at €1 million and triggered a ten-minute bidding battle among nine collectors by phone, online and in the room, with a Japanese buyer ultimately prevailing.
• This handcrafted prototype features Jane Birkin’s engraved initials, closed metal rings, a fixed strap and an integrated nail clipper, distinguishing it from later models.
• Originally created after Birkin’s 1984 Paris–London flight request for a mother-friendly tote, the bag was sold for AIDS charity in 1994 and later owned by vintage dealer Catherine Benier.
• Prior to this event, the highest price for a handbag at auction was set in 2021 by a diamond-studded white-gold Hermès Kelly that sold for $513,000.