In brief
- The world’s most expensive bag costs 8,582,500 euros: this is the price, including fees, of Jane Birkin’s original Birkin, sold at Sotheby’s Paris on 10 July 2025 (7 million euros hammer price, approximately 10.1 million dollars according to the house).
- It is the very first Hermès Birkin, in black box leather, with the initials “J.B.”, carried by the singer for a decade.
- Starting at 1 million euros, the bidding lasted about ten minutes between nine collectors; the buyer is a Japanese private collector.
- Jane Birkin had donated it in 1994 during a charity auction for the fight against AIDS.
- The second most expensive Birkin is also hers: the Birkin Voyageur, sold for 2.9 million dollars at Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi in December 2025.
A worn, scratched bag, marked by the years, became in July 2025 the most expensive handbag ever sold. The original Birkin, the one that gave its name to the most coveted Hermès model, exceeded 8.5 million euros in Paris. Here is its exact price, what it contains and why no other bag comes close.
How much does Jane Birkin’s Birkin cost?
On 10 July 2025, during its first Parisian “Fashion Icons” sale, Sotheby’s presented lot 8: “Hermès, The Original Birkin Crafted For Jane Birkin”. The house did not publish an estimate, only the mention “upon request”. Bidding opened at 1 million euros, rose for about ten minutes between nine bidders in the room, on the phone and online, then the hammer fell at 7 million euros.
With buyer’s fees, the final price reached 8,582,500 euros, or approximately 10.1 million dollars according to the conversion provided by Sotheby’s. This is an auction price, including fees, paid by a Japanese private collector whose identity has not been revealed. According to Sotheby’s, it is the most expensive bag ever sold at auction and the second most expensive fashion item in the history of public sales.
The original Birkin in figures
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maison | Hermès, Paris |
| Creation | Model designed in 1984 with Jane Birkin; bag dated 1985 in the catalogue |
| Material | Black box leather, brass hardware |
| Dimensions | 36 x 21 x 27 cm, 42 cm with handles |
| Distinctive signs | Initials “J.B.”, non-removable shoulder strap |
| Sale | Sotheby’s Paris, lot 8, 10 July 2025 |
| Hammer price | 7,000,000 € |
| Price including fees | 8,582,500 € (approx. $10.1M) |
| Buyer | Japanese private collector |
| Price source | Result published by Sotheby’s |
A prototype worn for ten years
The Birkin was born from a meeting between Jane Birkin and Jean-Louis Dumas, then chairman of Hermès, in the early 1980s. The first example is nothing like a production bag: Sotheby’s describes it as a hybrid, with the width and height of a Birkin 35 and the depth of a Birkin 40, smaller base studs, an interior zip and a fixed shoulder strap, designed for a woman who carried everything with her.
It is its signs of use that create its value: worn corners, patinated leather, round marks from old stickers. She donated it on 5 October 1994 during the “Enchères de l’Espoir”, a charity sale for the fight against AIDS; the certificate signed by her hand still accompanies the bag. It went back on sale on 12 May 2000 at the Hôtel des ventes du Palais (Poulain Le Fur), then remained for twenty-five years in a Parisian collection. In the meantime, it was exhibited at MoMA in New York (“Items: Is Fashion Modern?”) and at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (“Bags: Inside Out”, 2020).
Against other bags in the ranking
In our ranking of the world’s most expensive bags, the original Birkin far outpaces all its rivals. The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, a jewel-bag in gold set with 4,517 diamonds, remains the most expensive new bag according to Guinness World Records, at 3.8 million dollars. Jane Birkin’s Birkin Voyageur, her second bag, was sold for 2.9 million dollars at Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi in December 2025. A diamond-set Birkin 30 Himalaya exceeded 450,000 dollars at Sotheby’s in 2022. Before July 2025, the record for a bag at auction was, according to several reports, around 513,000 dollars for a Kelly Himalaya.
The price today
A unique piece, the original Birkin has no market value in the strict sense: its price is that of July 2025, and it will only change at a future sale, which has not been announced. A new Birkin is purchased at an Hermès boutique, without online sales, and rare models are resold at auction well above their original price. To measure the gap: Jane Birkin’s first bag cost more than three times the price of her Birkin Voyageur, which is nevertheless second in the world ranking.
Prices verified and updated on 13 October 2026. Sources: Sotheby’s (page for lot 8, “Fashion Icons including The Original Birkin” sale, Paris, 10 July 2025, and articles from the house on the most expensive Birkins), Guinness World Records.
← Back to the ranking: the most expensive bags in the worldAll luxury records, gathered on one page →
