Second hand Hermes Birkin bag sells for record £162,500 at auction

The bag sold for £162,500
AFP/Getty Images
Alexandra Richards13 June 2018

A second hand 10-year-old Hermes Birkin bag has sold for £162,500 breaking the record for the most expensive handbag to be sold at auction in Europe.

The bag fetched more than its listed price of £100,00 to £150,000 when it was auctioned off at Christie's on Tuesday.

Made from Nilo- crocodile and featuring an 18-carat white gold diamond encrusted lock, the bag was described as being in “grade 2 condition.”

The 2008 Himilaya Birkin measures 30 cm wide and is smaller than the original Birkin handbag.

It takes its name from the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas which designers said inspired the colour of the bag.

Auctioneers Christie's said it was the “undisputed most valuable bag in the world” and that it was the “most desired bag in existence.”

The record for the most expensive bag ever to be sold is held by another Hermes Birkin which sold for £253,700 at an auction in Hong Kong in 2017.

Celebrities who have been spotted with a Birkin include Kim Kardashian and Mariah Carey.

The original Birkin bag was created by the French luxury fashion house Hermes in 1981 and was named after the singer and actress Jane Birkin.

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