This Hermès Handbag Take Center Stage at Auction

4 OCT 22

Hermès Himalaya Kelly sold for €352,800 (US$353,400) at a Sotheby's auction in Paris

It broke the record for any luxury handbag sold at auction in Europe and the United States

Himalaya Retourne Kelly bag that sold for HK$4 million (US$510,000) at Christie's in Hong Kong last November

Hermès Himalaya Kelly, dubbed the "Holy Grail of handbags," is named after actress Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco

Grace Kelly who famously concealed her pregnancy with a Hermès purse

Bag has become a prestige symbol, desired by celebrities, socialites, and collectors alike

Auctioned at Sotheby's in Paris was made this year by the French luxury goods company Hermès

Six bidders competed for the legendary crocodile-skin bag, driving the price up to more than double the presale high estimate of €120,000

Himalaya Kelly, from 2021, has a starting price of HK$1 million (US$127,388) in another Sotheby's online sale

Cognac ostrich skin Hermès Birkin bag from 2016, with a presale estimate of €12,000 to €14,000

Custom-crafted Vermilion Mouette leather Birkin, produced in 2017, is priced between €10,000 and €12,000