A rare Hermès bag has set a new record for the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction – going for HK$1.72m (£146,000).
The fuchsia diamond-encrusted crocodile skin 2014 Birkin was sold to an anonymous phone bidder at Christie’s international handbags and accessories auction in Hong Kong.
The sale price was above the highest estimate at HK$1.5m (£127,000), with the final cost including buyer’s commission.
The previous record for the most expensive handbag sold at auction stood at $218,000 (£144,000), for a gold and diamond piece once owned by Elizabeth Taylor, in 2011. A Hermès Birkin sold at $203,150 (£133,000) in a heritage auction the same year.
However, the most expensive Hermès bag to date is thought to be the Himalayan crocodile Birkin sold directly by the French fashion house, for a whopping $432,000 (£284,000).
The Birkin, named after British actor and singer Jane Birkin, has been a favourite with celebrities and socialites since its launch in 1984.
The bag was designed after the Hermès CEO, Jean-Louis Dumas, watched the contents of Birkin’s bag fall to the floor from an overhead locker during a shared flight. Each bag – variations include ostrich, calf leather, goat leather and lizard – takes 48 hours to hand-stitch.
