Rating and value of Hermès Birkin bags

If you own a Birkin by Hermès, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services.

Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your bag, and provide you with an accurate estimate of its value on the current market.

Then, if you want to sell your bag, we'll direct you to the best possible device to get the best price for it. The price of a bag can vary depending on the year, leather, edition (limited or not), stones and metals used.

Rating and value of a Birkin from Hermès

Birkins from the house of Hermès are today the most expensive and most famous in the world.

Their success is well established. The price at which they sell on the art and auction markets ranges from €500 to €330 000, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to your Hermès bags.

In November 2020, a Birkin 25 in Himalayan Niloticus crocodile sold for €330,000, more than five times the high estimate achieved by Christie's Hong Kong.

Order of value ranging from a classic bag to the most sought-after

Reasons to auction a Birkin

The Birkin is a timeless bag, always in high demand on the auction market. Buyers are prepared to pay unprecedented sums, as the house has made the it bag a rare object and almost impossible to obtain new. At Hermès, you have to wait at least five years to hope to one day own this much sought-after bag.

You have to take into account its condition, originality, the materials in which it was made (ostrich leather, calfskin, aligator, canvas), but also whether or not it's a limited edition.

Rock collections are making a strong comeback among the most sought-after bags, with the nineties (90s) trend once again invading the catwalks at Paris Fashion Week.

However, the rarest and most prized remain the Aligator Birkins, which require a more expensive raw material that is harder to find and handle.

Lizard Birkins are also very rare, even if a little less expensive, followed closely by Ostrich Birkins.

Why should you choose this route to sell your bag?

Auctions are a solution to consider when selling your Birkin to gain time, visibility, potential buyers and, above all, high-ranking expertise.

Your bag is thus in the hands of certified auctioneers and experienced experts, who are committed to bringing out the best in your Birkin, in our sales specially dedicated to fashion.

Able to explain market trends and advise you on the right time to put your bag up for sale, they will advise and guide you so that you get the best price for it.

The most famous it bags

The story of Hermès' Birkin begins in 1980, on a flight from Paris to London. Jane Birkin, then traveling with her daughter Lou Doillon, complained on the plane that her handbag was impractical for storing her baby's bottles.

Jean-Louis Dumas, a passenger in the seat next to her, heard her complaint about the lack of pockets on Hermès bags. He designed his ideal bag on a paper napkin, and worked on the project with the singer for four years.

In 1984, the first Birkin was born, given to Jane as a gift by the house. It quickly became a fashion icon in its own right.

One of the actress's Birkins was resold in 2021 for charity by Bonhams in London, achieving a record sum, proof of the craze for the bag today.

With Hermès using the marketing tool of rarity, it's hard to get a new Birkin, especially as the value of the piece increases by around 14% every year.

This is why the auction market is an increasingly favored route to sell and buy this collectible bag.

Learn more about the making of the Birkin

A little symbol that can increase the price of your bag

Depending on whether your Birkin model is a limited edition, a custom order, a gift from the house, and several other reasons, the house of Hermès affixes a mark to the leather.

This can be a horseshoe, a colon, a dash, - which can, if the bag is properly appraised, increase the bag's resale price since it will be considered even rarer.

Here's an example:

A timeless effervescence

If Hermès bags are so highly prized today, it's because they're timeless, in addition to being practical and elegant.

They are highly prized by buyers willing to put a lot of money into them because it's a luxury bag but without any visible inscription or logo that might make the name of the house recognizable.

It's also a bag that lasts over time, thanks to the quality of the leather and metals used in its manufacture. Other houses don't put so much effort into their choice of materials and the assembly process of their bags.

Limited editions such as the Birkin All Black, the Crocodile Nilotocus Himalaya, the Birkin Sellier Faubourg, the Birkin Rock or the Birkin Shadow reach absolute auction records.

They are all the more sought-after by buyers as it is almost impossible to obtain one of these bags in a boutique, access being even more limited than for classic bags.

Recognizing an authentic Hermès bag

The counterfeit market is increasingly strong in manufacturing various bags passing them off as luxury bags. On online platforms, the resale of these items is steadily increasing, and many customers are being tricked.

This is why, even if techniques exist to recognize a real bag, including looking at the seams, whether the bag stands up when put down (a Brikin for example even in poor condition stands up), the typography of the signature and the spacing of the letters, metalized parts, or even the inscription of the serial number inside, expertise is paramount.

Knowing the certain value of your bag

If you happen to own a Brikin by Hermès or think you might, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal via our form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and licensed auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your bag, not forgetting to send you ad hoc information about it.

If you wish to sell your property, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market inclinations.