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6 Most Expensive Hermès Handbags As Of 2024

By: Author Christine Rogador

Posted on  - Last updated:

Do you want to know some of the most expensive Hermès handbags sold ever?

But before that, let’s get back to where it all started: with the horses – in Paris, France, year 1837.

Frenchman Thierry Hermès started Hermès as a harness workshop that was meant to cater to European noblemen on Paris’ Grands Boulevards quarter.

He made some of the finest wrought harnesses and bridles for horses and carriages before the shop became one of the most famous saddlery retailers.

It was decades since the establishment in 1837 that Hermès began creating leather bags for the saddles and accessories like whips, hats, and riding boots.

Today, Hermès is one of the best French handbag brands – and also the most expensive. This luxury design house also produces other leather goods, clothing, jewelry, perfumes, and even home furnishings.

READ MORE: Most Affordable Hermès Handbags As Of 2024

The Most Expensive Hermès Handbags

Let’s have a look at the most expensive Hermès handbags that flaunt the net worth of those who carry them.

1. Hermès Kelly Rose Gold – $2 Million

The very iconic Kelly bag by Hermès is named after Monaco’s Princess Grace Kelly. The name perfectly fits, considering the price of every Kelly bag that’s worth a royal fortune.

This particular Kelly bag – the most expensive handbag ever made by Hermès – costs a whopping $2 million. It is made of solid rose gold dotted with 1,160 diamonds and crafted to mimick crocodile leather.

Hermès Kelly Rose Gold is a collaboration of Hermès and French fashion designer Pierre Hardy. This extremely expensive design took two years to make. They produced just a dozen bags of this model and only three variants.

Hermès Kelly Rose Gold cannot actually contain your essentials, so one can’t expect to really use this bag the way bags are supposed to be used. It is just big enough for storing a few cards and some cash.

However, while this $2-million Hermès bag is small, it is so luxurious that you need not wear jewelry to parties when you carry it. So maybe it’s worth the price tag, after all? Personally, though, I would think twice!

2. Hermès Birkin Bag by Ginza Tanaka – $1.4 Million

We’ve met the diamond-studded Kelly Rose Gold. Now we’re on to even more diamonds this time – more than 2,000, as a matter of fact. But let’s hold our horses and tackle a little history of the super iconic Birkin bag first.

The Birkin bag was conceived in 1984, on an airplane flight from Paris to London. English-French singer and actress Jane Birkin, while stuffing her bag into the overhead compartment, spilled the contents to the deck below.

Occupying the seat next to Miss Birkin was then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin explained to him how hard it was to find a leather weekender she liked. This inspired Dumas to create a supple black leather bag based on an earlier design that Hermès had made in 1900.

And so Hermès Birkin was born.

The most expensive bag of this kind – worth a whopping $1.4 million – is made in collaboration with Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka.

The price tag should not surprise us, considering the bag is made from platinum and adorned with, yes, over 2,000 diamonds. It also has a 8-karat centerpiece in the shape of a pear fruit, which can be removed and converted to a brooch.

Hermès Birkin by Ginza Tanaka is a super limited edition bag that can be carried as a clutch. It features a diamond strap which you can wear as a necklace or a bracelet when detached from the bag.

So just like the Kelly Rose Gold, having this Birkin bag allows you to attend parties without having to accessorize yourself. The bag itself, thanks to its detachable parts, is an exquisite jewelry already that screams just how fat your bank account is.

Very few things that money can buy will impress people more than wearing a Hermès Birkin by Ginza Tanaka at literally any party.

3. Hermès Chaine’d Ancre Bag by Pierre Hardy – $1.4 Million

Chaine d’ Ancre in English is “Anchor Chain.” As the name suggests, the Hermès Chaine d’ Ancre features intricate anchor-shaped chain links. It is a bucket bag designed by Pierre Hardy, which adds a lot to its prestige.

The bag is encrusted with 1,160 pieces of diamonds – a total of 33.94 carats. Apart from the expensive materials, being a Pierre Hardy designed-collectible adds value to the Chaine d’ Ancre. And not only that; Hermès created only three of these and they come with a whacking $1.4 million tag price.

If you want to add a Hermès Chaine d’ Ancre to your collection, you cannot expect to buy any of the three diamond-encrusted Chaine d’ Ancres bags readily. However, the iconic design is re-imagined using Madame calfskin, Barenia leather, and tadelakt to create new versions of this tote bag.

You can have the iconic Chaine d’ Ancres in Madame for $11,200, the Barenia for $13,400, and the tadelakt also for $13,400. But since they are push offers, they are also not often seen in stores.

4. Hermès Diamond Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Retourne Kelly – $450,000 to $510,000

Himalaya bags are some of Hermès’ most expensive. In 2021, the bag broke the world auction record for handbags, selling for $4 million HKD or $510,000 USD at Christie’s Hong Kong. In 2024, Sotheby’s sold one through private sale for over $450,000.

The Hermès Diamond Himalaya Retourne Kelly is arguably the rarest and among the most expensive handbags in the world. The bag is handcrafted from Niloticus crocodile and painstakingly dyed to achieve the leather’s signature gradation.

Do you want a cheaper version of this bag? For about $200,000 you can have one with hardwares made from Palladium.

5. Hermès Diamond Himalaya Birkin – over $450,000

Along with the Diamond Himalaya Retourne Kelly, Sotheby’s also sold a Diamond Himalaya Birkin for more than $450,000 via private sale. This bag features hardware made of 18-karat white gold and over 200 pieces of diamonds.

If you want to buy a Himalaya Birkin but the Diamond version is not easily found, there is a 25cm Himalayan Birkin currently sold at stores with a tag price $61,700. These Birkins are made from rare Himalayan crocodiles, with a matte finish and stippled gray degradé mask, making the Himalaya Birkin a relatively practical bag and therefore a pretty safe investment (I’m pretty sure!).

6. Hermès Metallic Birkin – $136,490

Hermès Birkin bags in the rare metallic design were first produced and released in 2004, to coincide with the Athens Olympics. They came in Gold, Silver and Bronze Chevre – all in extremely limited quantities.

Here’s a catch. Metallic finish is not very practical as it’s been known to wear off with use. Very few bags in this finish have survived in good condition. Hence, even an Hermès in the metallic finish is not a very safe investment.

However, in April 29 2024, the third metallic Birkin – a Silver with bronze piping – ever sold at auction set a new record for leather hand bags at the hefty price of $136,490. It broke the previous record of $126,000 set by Sotheby’s in December of 2021 for a Metallic Silver Chèvre Birkin 25.