First-ever Birkin bag sold for record $8.2 million at Sotheby's

The very first Birkin bag created by Hermès has been sold for €7 million ($8.2 million) at Sotheby’s, setting a new record for a women’s handbag, CNN reported citing the auction house.

The worn black bag, bearing the initials “J.B.” and decorated with stickers and scratches, belonged to actress and singer Jane Birkin. It was the prototype created in 1984 by Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas after a chance encounter with Birkin on a flight from Paris to London.

The online auction lasted 10 minutes and drew nine active bidders. A private collector from Japan won the lot. The opening price was €1 million. Sotheby’s had not disclosed a pre-sale estimate.

Birkin died in 2023 at the age of 76.