Jane Birkin's Original Hermes Birkin (1984 prototype)
- Maker
- Hermes
- Year
- 1984
- Rank
- 1 of 100
Jane Birkin's Original Hermes Birkin (1984 prototype)
Jane Birkin's Original Hermes Birkin (1984 prototype) by Hermes (1984) is ranked 1 in the FLOAT 100 for Handbags. It sold for $10,100,000 on 10 July 2025. The single most valuable handbag ever sold and the literal genesis object of the entire category; the ceiling of the market.
What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?
The single most valuable handbag ever sold and the literal genesis object of the entire category; the ceiling of the market.
Original prototype Birkin, black, non-removable shoulder strap, gilded brass, Jane Birkin's personal bag
What is the best-sourced number for it?
- Figure
- $10,100,000
- Kind
- Realized at auction
- Date
- 10 July 2025
Sotheby's Paris 'Fashion Icons' sale; EUR8,582,500 incl. fees; world record for any handbag. Corroborated by ArtNews and CBS News coverage.
This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.
How this is made
- The figure
- One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
- Realized or not
- A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
- Why no grade ladder
- Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
- Archive
- 2026-08-08