Abu Dhabi is poised to host a high-profile auction of a rare Hermès handbag once owned by the late British-French icon Jane Birkin. The ‘Birkin Voyageur’, a black leather bag gifted to Birkin by Hermès in 2003, will be displayed in the UAE capital from December 2 to December 5, with the auction set for December 5. Estimated to fetch between Dh844,100 ($230,000) and Dh1.58 million ($430,000), the bag is expected to ignite a fierce bidding war, potentially surpassing Dh2 million. This auction follows the record-breaking sale of the first-ever Birkin bag in Paris earlier this year, which sold for Dh36.7 million ($10 million).
The ‘Birkin Voyageur’ is not just a luxury item but a piece of history, bearing a personal inscription by Birkin herself: “Mon Birkin bag qui m’a accompagné dans le monde entier” (My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion). This phrase, written in 2007, reflects the bag’s significance as a cherished companion during her travels. Birkin was known for auctioning her Hermès bags to support charitable causes, including the International Federation for Human Rights and a leading French AIDS charity. This tradition has elevated Birkin bags to symbols of both heritage and philanthropy.
The UAE has a storied history of high-stakes auctions, particularly for charitable causes. In March 2025, a charity auction of special number plates and mobile numbers raised Dh83.67 million ($22.8 million) for the Fathers’ Endowment campaign, a UAE initiative to support healthcare for the underprivileged. The event saw record-breaking bids, including Dh35 million for the DD5 number plate. Similarly, the world’s most expensive vehicle plate, P7, was sold for Dh55 million in April 2023.
For collectors, owning a Birkin bag is a personal milestone. Shinsuke Sakimoto, CEO of Valuence Holdings Inc, who purchased the original Birkin for $10 million, described it as a defining moment for his company and a tribute to the bag’s legacy. As the December auction approaches, anticipation builds for another historic moment in the world of luxury collectibles.