Five of the most expensive bags ever sold at a Christie’s handbag auction: Hermès Kelly and Birkins and a vintage Chanel
- Rare luxury handbags can be an excellent investment, judging by the prices some have fetched at auction
- Here are five of the most expensive bags sold at Christie’s handbag sales

The Christie’s handbag sale is one of the few times a year where Hermès Birkin and Kelly bags, Louis Vuitton trunks, and vintage Chanel bags all come together to be bid upon. It’s also one of the few times a year when the ultra rich drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on some of the rarest bags in the world.
In fact, one of the most expensive items ever sold at the Christie’s handbag sale was a Louis Vuitton trunk, which sold in 2018 for US$198,656. And 2020 could see even more record-breaking sales, especially as wealthy people under lockdown look to put their money in assets such as luxury watches, high-end bags, real estate and artwork.
Here, in ascending order, are some of the most expensive bags the auction house has ever sold.
The most expensive Chanel bag sold at Christie's was the Métiers D’Art Paris-Shanghai Black Lucite Matryoshka evening bag with gold hardware. It sold on June 19, 2018 at Christie’s New York for US$32,500.

