- Christie’s is in the midst of its “Summer in the City” handbag auction, which is set to end July 28.
- The auction includes various styles of Hermes bags, including the beloved Birkin and Kelly bags.
- Business Insider teamed up with Christie’s to highlight some of the most expensive bags the auction house has ever sold.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The Christie’s handbag sale is one of the few times a year where Birkins, Kelly Bags, Louis Vuitton Trunks, and vintage Chanel all come together to be bid upon in peace. It’s also one of the few times a year when the ultra-rich en masse drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on some of the rarest bags in the world.
In fact, one of the most expensive items ever sold at the Christie’s handbag was a Louis Vuitton Trunk, which sold in 2018 for $198,656. And 2020 could see even more record-breaking sales, especially as wealthy people under lockdown look to put their money in assets like luxury watches, high-end bags, real estate, and artwork.
Business Insider and Christie’s teamed up to see what sales this year’s bidders have to beat to set a record. Here, in ascending order of price, are some of the most expensive bags the auction house has ever sold.
The most expensive Chanel bag sold at a Christie’s auction went for $32,500.
The most expensive Chanel bag sold at Christie’s was the Métiers D’Art Paris-Shanghai Black Lucite Matryoshka Evening Bag with Gold Hardware.
It sold on June 19, 2018 at Christie's New York for $32,500.
The most expensive Hermes leather bag sold at a Christie's auction went for $109,500.
The most expensive Hermes leather bag sold at Christie's was the rare Metallic Bronze Chèvre Leather Birkin 25 with Gold Hardware.
It was sold on December 12, 2017, at Christie's Paris for 100,000 EUR ($109,500).
This crocodile skin bag from Hermes' Limited Edition "So Black" Collection auctioned at Christie's for $209,553.
The most expensive bag from Hermes' Limited Edition "So Black" Collection sold at Christie's was the rare, limited edition Matte Black Niloticus Crocodile So Black Birkin 30 with Rare PVD Hardware.
It sold on May 29, 2019, at Christie's Hong Kong for 1,625,000 HKD ($209,553).
The priciest Hermes Kelly Bag auctioned by Christie's sold for $241,789.
The most expensive Hermes Kelly Bag sold at Christie's was a rare, Matte White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Retourné Kelly 25 with Palladium Hardware.
It sold on November 25, 2019 at Christie's Hong Kong for 1,875,000 HKD ($241,789).
The most expensive bag of any brand ever auctioned at Christie's was, unsurprisingly, a Birkin that went for $384,285.
The most expensive bag ever auctioned at Christie's was a Matte White Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin 30 with Diamond Hardware.
It sold on November 29, 2017 at Christie's Hong Kong for 2,980,000 HDK ($384,285).