You Could Be In Possession Of Jane Birkin's First Birkin

If you're either an Hermès or Jane Birkin enthusiast, you'll know the famous story of how the Birkin bag came about. A brief recap: Jean-Louis Dumas, the chairman of Hermès, sat next to the French singer and actor on a Paris-to-London flight in 1983. After getting to talking, Birkin, expressed her difficulty finding a suitable leather weekend and everyday bag for her busy life with kids. Inspired, Dumas sketched a design for a practical, spacious bag on an airsickness bag during the flight. The Birkin was born, and the prototype was, of course, gifted to Jane.

Fast forward to today, and the silhouette is one of the most famous and coveted bags money can buy, and for the first time in 25 years, the original is once again up for auction, hitting the Sotheby’s block on July 10.

Despite it's already unique and limited-edition origins, the bag is truly one-of-a-kind from a design perspective, too. The black grained leather purse is as tall as a Birkin 40, as deep and wide as a Birkin 35, and is complete with a crossbody strap. And in case you weren't sure if it was really the first edition, belonging to Birkin herself, the front flap is stamped with the initials “J.B.” for the most priceless certification.

Birkin passed away in 2023, but donated her beloved first Birkin long before then in 1994 to the French AIDS charity, Association Solidarité Sida. Later, in 2000, it was purchased again by Paris-based collector, Catherine Benier.

Ahead of the sale to its new owner, Sotheby's sent the bag to be displayed in its Paris and Hong Kong stores, having been previously lent out for display at Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Now it has returned to New York, and is on display at the auction house’s galleries from now through June 12, 2025.

So if you're in New York, now's the time to take a look. Who knows when the next time it will be available to view will be!