Mystery Buyer Snags Jane Birkin’s Iconic Handbag for Jaw-Dropping $10 Million at Auction

How much would you pay to own a piece of history—say, a glorified purse that could fund your mortgage for the next century? Well, someone just dropped $10.1 million on the very first Hermès Birkin handbag. (That’s not a typo—ten. point. one. million.) A bag designed for Jane Birkin herself, no less. Makes you wonder: what exactly do you put in a bag more expensive than your entire extended family’s dental work? Toothpicks made of solid gold? The souls of envious fashion victims? Say what you will about the absurdity of luxury, but there’s something darkly fascinating about a handbag out-earning most tech CEOs. And honestly, if my SEO skills ever netted me that kind of cash, I’d have Google embroider my initials on it. Want to tumble down this rabbit hole of excess? LEARN MORE

The very first of the famed Hermès Birkin handbags, made for the late actress, musician, and model Jane Birkin, sold for $10.1 million, claiming the title of the most valuable handbag ever to be sold at auction.

“Well I bought the original Birkin bag from a guy on the 4 train, so somebody’s lying.”

Louie Shawky, Pinwheel Assembler

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“I didn’t realize Jane Birkin was named after a bag.”

Zoltan Potoka, Weathervane Installer

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“Just wait until I put my Vera Bradley duffle on eBay.”

Lana Denheld, Stanza Redactor