ABU DHABI.- One of only four Birkin handbags ever owned by Jane Birkin in her lifetime after the sale of her Original Birkin, will be offered at auction as part of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week, an exclusive programme of auctions, masterclasses, panel discussions, and exhibitions, presented in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and set against the stunning backdrop of at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi from 2 to 5 December.

Gifted to Jane Birkin by Hermès, this black Birkin, was one of four Birkins the artist used after she sold her beloved Original Birkin, the prototype. This one-of-a-kind bag, will be sold in a live auction Abu Dhabi on 5 December under the name Le Birkin Voyageur – a reference to a message inside the bag written by Jane herself – with an estimate of $230,000 - $430,000.

Following the record-breaking sale in July of Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin – a unique and iconic prototype that fetched an astonishing €8.6 million / $10.1 million at Sotheby’s Paris, becoming the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction – global interest in both Hermès Birkins and the actress’s personal collection has surged to unprecedented heights. The extraordinary result also established new benchmarks for the most valuable fashion item sold at auction in Europe, and the most valuable luxury item ever sold at Sotheby’s Paris.

Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin was first sold by Jane Birkin in 1994 to raise funds for a leading French AIDS charity, which prompted Hermès to offer the artist a new Birkin, similar to the prototype she had inspired and helped design. Selling her Birkin bags to raise funds for charities she cared deeply about, after a few years of usage, became a tradition for Jane Birkin, with Hermès replacing them every time. In the course of her life, Hermès gave Jane Birkin a total of four Birkin handbags after the sale of the prototype, the very origin of the legend.

Now, one of those four Birkin bags is coming to auction – this particular model for the first time in over fifteen years – presenting a rare opportunity to own one of the five pieces making up the iconic Jane Birkin handbag legacy. Le Birkin Voyageur was Jane Birkin’s everyday bag from 2003 to 2007, during which time it became an extension of her identity—worn, loved, and filled with the ordinary yet treasured objects of her life.

The Birkin Voyageur – A Bag with Secrets from Jane Birkin with Love

This rare piece, crafted in classic black box leather and visibly worn from years of personal use, embodies the effortlessly iconic style she made legendary. Gifted by Hermès to Jane Birkin in 2003, it was only sold once at auction in 2007 to benefit the Human Rights Association and has remained in a private collection ever since.

What sets this Birkin apart, however, is a feature unseen in any model ever offered by Hermès to the public and therefore made to order for Jane Birkin: closed bridges to help fasten the bag, a rare design element initially found on the original Birkin prototype. Measuring 40 cms in width (commonly referred to as size 40), the bag is further distinguished by Jane Birkin’s unmistakable personal touch.

As part of its preparation for auction in 2007, the actress poured the love she had for her Birkin in the form of poetic handwritten notes in silver ink and disarming drawings on the bag’s interior pockets. Her heart-touching musings included the phrases “My Birkin bag” and her signature, “Jane B” whilst she playfully drew a chaste female nude delicately covered by the flap of the pocket over which she traced what looks like the faces of cherubs or children.

The most poignant detail is a handwritten note from Jane herself: “Mon Birkin bag qui m'a accompagné dans le monde entier” (My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion”), which inspired the bag’s nickname: Le Birkin Voyageur (“The Traveler”). While the prototype Birkin holds unmatched historical significance as the origin of the iconic design, Le Birkin Voyageur is the most intimately connected to Jane Birkin’s personality ever to appear on the market. For collectors of rare luxury handbags and admirers of Birkin’s enduring cultural influence, this extraordinary piece represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own not just a handbag, but a living part of her story—one she truly made her own.

The impact of Sotheby’s announcement of The Original Birkin was immediate and far reaching. In the month of July alone, Hermès sales on Sotheby’s Buy Now online store surged up 48% in quantity and an extraordinary 94% in value. Traffic to Sotheby’s Hermès Birkin landing page nearly doubled in both unique visitors and page views compared to the same period last year. Hermès quickly rose to become the most searched term across Sotheby’s entire website, with 'Birkin' ranking as the fifth – a testament to the global excitement and renewed demand sparked by this landmark sale. Hermès handbags — particularly the Birkin and the Kelly — define the category of ‘ultra handbags’, which are designed for retail and yet are extremely hard to purchase on the primary market and are the subject of waiting lists. Since 2021, Sotheby’s has sold nearly $100 million in Birkin bags, cementing its position as a global leader in the luxury resale market.