Designer handbags go under hammer in London auction

by REUTERS

LONDON Nov 19, 2021 - 9:59 am GMT+3

Going up for sale at an auction by Christie's this month is a large collection of high-end handbags, expected to fetch more than $100,000.

"Handbags Online: The London Edit" is open for bidding until Nov. 23, with bags, luggage and accessories on offer.

Highlights include handbags in a range of colors by French luxury leather goods maker Hermes, known for its $10,000 plus Birkin and Kelly ranges.

General view of items on display as part of "Handbags Online: The London Edit" at Christie's in London, Britain, Nov. 18, 2021. (REUTERS Photo)

Leading the lot is a Hermes Birkin 20 Matte Beton Alligator, White Togo & Swift Leather Faubourg Sellier bag, depicting the front of Hermes' flagship Paris store in Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.

Released this year in limited numbers, the bag has a price estimate of 80,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds ($107,832 to $134,790).

"It's very unusual to see that many bags at the same time because obviously whenever you go to the shop, you will not be able to see that many models and colors," Lucile Andreani, head of sales EMEA handbags and accessories at Christie's, told Reuters at a preview on Thursday.

"We have almost 200 bags ... (items start) from 100 pounds, and it's up to 80,000 pounds, so it's a very wide range."

Rachel Koffsky, international senior specialist at Christie’s Handbags & Accessories, poses with a piece titled "A rare, Fauve barenia leather & bog oak Kellywood 22 with palladium hardware, Hermes, 2020," which is on display as part of "Handbags Online: The London Edit" at Christie's in London, Britain, Nov. 18, 2021. (REUTERS Photo)

Other Hermes bags include a limited edition chevron motif Fauve Barenia & Bog Oak Kellywood 22, which can fetch 60,000 to 80,000 pounds, and a shiny Cocoan Porosus Crocodile Birkin 35, adorned with 18-carat yellow gold and yellow sapphire hardware. It can go between 50,000 to 70,000 pounds.

"Most of our clients are using the bags because they are made to be used," Andreani said, adding buyers mainly were private collectors.

Other items for sale include a Louis Vuitton Zinc Explorer Trunk, dating from the 1890s with a 30,000 to 40,000-pound price tag, and a Chanel red carbon-fiber surfboard, estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 pounds.