Hong Kong: xThe rare Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Birkin 30 went to an unknown phone bidder late on Monday for HK$2.32 million ($298,655), beating a pre sale estimate of $2 million, the auction house Christie’s said.
“It was the world record price for any handbag sold at auction,” Bingle Lee, a Hong Kong-based spokesman for Christie’s, told AFP.
Designer handbags are increasingly seen as investment opportunities and are the latest craze for collectors, taking global auction houses by storm and scoring record prices.
The new record beat one set last year, also in Hong Kong, when a fuchsia-coloured Hermes bag sold for $222,912.
The handmade bag — described by the London-based auctioneers as the “rarest, most sought-after” — is encrusted with diamonds, while the buckle and trademark mini Hermes padlock are made of 18 carat white gold.
“It is believed that only one or two of the Diamond Himalayas are produced each year, globally, making it one of the lowest production runs for handbags,” Christie’s said in a statement issued before the sale.
