Jane Bikin’s Original Hermès Handbag, Once the ‘Most Expensive in the World,’ Goes on Sale: ‘A Rare Moment’

The most expensive handbag in the world is up for grabs!

On Thursday, June 5, Sotheby’s announced that Jane Birkin’s ‘The Original Birkin’ handbag will be auctioned off as part of their Paris Fashion Icons sale on July 10 in Paris. It was designed in 1984 after then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas had a chance encounter with the actress Jane Birkin while flying to London from Paris.

Sotheby’s has not shared a public estimate for how much ‘The Original Birkin’ could sell for, but Marganne Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said the opportunity to purchase it was a “rare moment in the world of fashion when an object transcends trends and becomes a legend.”

“Jane Birkin’s Original Birkin bag is such a moment,” Halimi added in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

“A true unicorn in the world of fashion and accessories, this iconic handbag stands shoulder to shoulder with other exceptional items with similarly dazzling provenance — such as Princess Diana’s symbolic Black Sheep Sweater and Freddie Mercury’s Crown and Cloak, both of which set outstanding benchmarks for items of their kind,” Halimi continued.

“Like them, the Original Birkin holds the potential to redefine records, but above all, our priority is ensuring it finds a new home worthy of its iconic status and legendary history,” she added.

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After the actress’ original, Hermès went on to develop four different sizes of Birkin bags, offering them in different colors, exotic skins, and limited releases. Despite costing thousands of dollars, the bags have often garnered huge waiting lists with demand from collectors and fashionistas alike.

The original bag has previously been publicly displayed just twice –  at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 2018 and at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum in 2020.

Ahead of this year’s Paris Fashion Icons Sale, ‘The Original Birkin’ will be on view at Sotheby’s in Manhattan from June 6-10 before going on display in Paris at Sotheby’s Galleries from July 3-9.

“At this stage, we will communicate it privately to potential bidders,” Halimi said, per The New York Times. “Obviously it is a one-of-a-kind piece, completely apart from any other handbag, or any other Birkin. We are breaking records with Birkin bags on a regular basis at auction. 

“We foresee it to be as unique as the Diana jumper or a worn jersey from the N.B.A. It has value because of what it is and what has happened because of that bag,” she added.

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‘The Original Birkin’ has several key differences from commercially available Birkins, such as its non-removable strap, brass hardware, and unique size. It also features an inner zip from a different manufacturer and has studs on the bottom that are a different shape.

The front flap of the bag is also branded with Jane Bikin’s initials, per CNN.

The actress — who died in 2023 — owned five Birkin bags in her lifetime. ‘The Original Birkin’ was sold to Catherine Benier six years after Jane donated it to the French AIDS charity, Association Solidarité Sida, in 1994, per Sotheby’s news release.

Benier has not shared a desired sum that she hopes the item will sell for.

“Twenty-five years ago when I acquired it, it was already the most expensive bag in the world,” she said, per NYT. “All these elements fuel the legend of the first Birkin bag, so certainly a price exists, but what is it? This bag is the object of a lifetime, it’s a legend, an icon. Does a legend have a price? Certainly.”