You can’t take Jane away from the Birkin, but you can take the Birkin away from Jane, as Sotheby’s is offering a well-loved Hermès Birkin Voyageur that once belonged to her. Donated to charity in 2007, the bag has now resurfaced at auction, ready to make headlines once again. Hermès handbags are no longer just fashion accessories, and last year’s auction proved it when the very first Birkin, created in 1984, went under the hammer for a little over $10 million.
This year, the bidding war begins on December 5 at Sotheby’s during the inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week, and that’s one stellar way to make a grand first impression.
The Birkin Voyageur is no ordinary bag (though, aren’t they all extraordinary?). This one comes personalized by Jane Birkin herself, complete with a handwritten message and her signature. Yes, it looks well used, because it was. After Jane sold her first Birkin, Hermès gifted her this one to continue using as her practical arm candy while she globe-trotted.
In fact, the singer immortalized the handbag as her constant companion with the words, “Mon Birkin bag qui m’a accompagné dans le monde entier” (“My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion”), inspiring its affectionate nickname, Le Birkin Voyageur (“The Traveler”). One of four Birkin bags used by the beloved French artist, this one, gifted in 2003, comes in a size 40 model, known to be Jane’s favorite size. (Remember, she wanted a big bag to replace her bucket bags and carry her entire world?)
Inside, the attention is drawn not to the fine materials but to the inscription, written in silver ink by Jane herself. This bag was later donated to a charity auction in 2007 in support of the International Federation for Human Rights. Her playful side is revealed through drawings of children or cherubs, along with a winged Venus accompanied by another angel, all sketched on the inside pockets.
Another unmistakable detail marking it as Jane Birkin’s Birkin is the presence of closed bridges, a feature not found on any other Hermès bags. It was originally part of the prototype Birkin she owned, the very bag that started it all. After she donated this black beauty in 2007, it hasn’t seen the inside of an auction house, making it all the more coveted. And if history has taught us anything, we can be certain that the price, estimated between $230,000 and $430,000, will be surpassed by millions, adding yet another chapter to the legend of the world’s most expensive handbags. Is Japanese company Valuence Japan Inc., the buyer of the “mother of all Birkins” for $10 million, reading this?
