10-year-old bag sold for $217,144 in London auction

IANS  |  London 

A 10-year-old second-hand has sold for $217,144 in London, a new European record for the most expensive sold at an

The record for a sold at - also a Birkin - is $380,000, set in Hong Kong in 2017.

It is the "undisputed most valuable in the world", house Christie's said.

It was first time the bag had been offered in a European auction, said Matthew Rubinger,

The niloticus crocodile bag was said to be in "grade 2 condition" with no obvious flaws.

It measures just 30 cm wide - smaller than the original Birkin - and is made from nilo crocodile hide and features diamonds.

Its name refers to the colour gradient, said to resemble the snow-capped hills of the Himalayas.

A 2006 blue version of the sold for $133,608 at the same auction on Tuesday, the reported.

New Birkin bags can start at around $9,350 each, but they are not easy to buy, with famously long waiting lists.

The French luxury house designed what became known as the Birkin in 1981.

Named after the Jane Birkin, it has become one of the most sought-after accessories in the world, but it began as a quest for the perfect holdall.

--IANS

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First Published: Wed, June 13 2018. 09:40 IST