What was the original retail price of the Hermès Birkin 35?

Name: Hermès Birkin 35
Brand: Hermès

Around $19,000 at original retail.

Hermès · Tier 1

Birkin

Catalogued June 2026

Designed in 1984 after Hermès then-CEO Jean-Louis Dumas sketched a spacious rectangular holdall for actress and singer Jane Birkin during a commercial flight (commonly cited as 1983/1984; exact year has some variance across sources, with Hermès and most retrospectives settling on 1984). Rectangular, structured silhouette with double rolled top handles, a single wide flap, and a signature front swing lock and clochette (key fob). Sourced as one of the most recognized status symbols in luxury fashion, with multi-year waitlists historically required at retail.

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Size

25 30 323540 Micro Unknown

Material

Togo Guilloche Tadelakt ClemenceOstrichLeather Epsom Chevre Mysore Niloticus Crocodile Porosus Crocodile Swift Alligator Barenia Fjord Box Calf Unknown

Hardware

Gold-Plated GuillochePalladium-Platedgold palladium Unknown

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Made in

What the house has produced this bag in, from our sourced records.

Material

Togodefault, Clemence, Epsom, Swift, Box Calf, Barenia

Seasonal: Chevre Mysore, Ostrich, Niloticus Crocodile, Porosus Crocodile, Alligator

Construction

Retournedefault, Sellier

Hardware

Gold

The Hermès Birkin 35 is a Ostrich structured bag, originally retailing around $19,000.

What it's worth

Hermès · Birkin · 35

All 35 colours and leathers · 1000 recorded prices

Best listed right now: $8,965 on Fashionphile, well below the typical price (median $14,620).

Demand is light and prices are soft, so there's little pressure to move fast.

No longer in production, so resale is the only way to buy it.

By condition · compared like-for-like

excellent

279 prices

very good

170 prices

good

44 prices

$9,500$72,500

Estimated from recorded resale prices (507 with condition unrecorded) · not an appraisal. As of 2026-09-18.

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Where it stands

of 556 styles in the LC Index

Steady

✦One number for where a bag stands in the whole market.
⚖Blended from price, trade volume, and scarcity.
◷Recomputed monthly from recorded market prices.

Our index, not a verdict. How we rank

The three measures behind #1

By priceof 556 styles

#1Kelly Pochette · Hermès
#2Birkin · Hermès
#3Kelly · Hermès

By trade volume

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Bag DNA

What this bag is made of. Tap any part to explore the rest of the catalog.

HHouseHermèsest. 1837 · France LeatherOstrich HardwarePalladium-Plated Shapestructured

The Story

It began as a doodle on an airplane sick bag, and became the most expensive handbag ever sold.

Origin

A doodle on an airplane sick bag

In 1981 Jane Birkin was seated next to Hermès chairman Jean-Louis Dumas on an Air France flight and spilled her bag across the floor. He told her she should carry one with pockets. She sketched the roomy bag she actually wanted on an airplane sickness bag, and he agreed to make it if he could name it after her.

SourcesSotheby's WWD

Design

Designed to be used, not worshipped

The brief was practical: a bag big enough to hold a young mother's whole day. Jane treated her own that way too, covering it in stickers and charms and carrying it until it wore out. The polished status object came later; the design started as a tool.

Guides for this bag

Articles on the Birkin and Hermès from our verified experts.

Photos

This bag is a rare find.

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Specifications

Size35

Exterior materialOstrich

ColorwayNot yet documented · know it? Tell us

Hardware colorPalladium-Plated

Silhouettestructured

Closureturn-lock with strap (top flap closes with two leather straps that loop through a turn-lock clasp, secured by a separate swing lock/padlock)

StatusDiscontinued

Marketunknown

Retail price$19,000 original retail

About Ostrich

Typeexotic

Resale price history

-21%

$15,995 → $12,595 across 1000 recorded sales

2026-07 – 2026-09

Dashed line = $19,000 original retail. Recent sales trade 34% below retail.

Estimated from recorded resale prices · not an appraisal or investment forecast. Values can go down as well as up.

Research depth

We haven’t researched the authentication details for this variant yet. The brand-level markers still apply: check the Hermès guide →

Where to buy

Pre-filled searches on the major resale platforms. Listings and prices are set by each reseller. What protects you at each venue

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Search on Fashionphile✓ Authenticates every item · 15-day returns on eligible items Search on The RealReal✓ Authenticates every item · Handbags are final sale Search on Vestiaire CollectiveAuthentication available · Limited: final sale unless not as described

Where to sell

Selling is a trade: top dollar takes patience, fast cash costs you margin, keeping it all costs you the safety net.

See what you'd keep at each venueThe Hermès Birkin run through every venue's real published fees, ranked by what lands in your pocket.

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Care for it

Ostrich: Exotic skins are their own world. Keep them dry and dust-free, and leave real cleaning to a specialist.

Breathable dust bag

A soft cotton bag that keeps dust and light off without trapping moisture.

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Anti-humidity packs

Silica or moisture-absorbing packs that keep the closet air dry around the bag.

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Hardware polishing cloth

A soft microfiber that buffs chains, clasps and logo plates without scratching.

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Our picks are a starting point. Test anything new on a hidden spot first. Some Amazon links are affiliate links.

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Frequently asked questions

What was the original retail price of the Hermès Birkin 35?: Around $19,000 at original retail.

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Word of mouth

What gets said about this one, drawn from published reviews and owner discussion. Tell us where your experience differs.

The case for

Carried the way almost everyone actually carries it, hanging open, it is effortless. One big compartment, no flap to fight, reach in and go.
3 sources · r/handbags: why are Hermès clasps always left open?
It takes a beating well. A year of regular carry left one owner with no corner scuffs and unmarked hardware, and the room mostly agrees it looks better broken in than pristine.
3 sources · r/handbags: why are people obsessed with Birkins?
Repairability is the argument owners actually make for the price. Handles, hardware and the resin on the handles can be replaced at the Hermès spa, though cracked leather cannot be brought back.
2 sources · PurseForum: the Hermès repair and refurbish thread (the spa)

The gripes

Empty weight is the shock. A Birkin 30 in Togo lands just under two pounds with nothing inside, and owners say a loaded one turns taxing on the arm within a couple of hours.
3 sources · r/TheHermesGame: using a Birkin or Kelly daily
There is no shoulder strap and owners are firm that there should not be. It is hand or crook of the elbow only, and a few who came from shoulder bags stopped carrying theirs over it.
4 sources · PurseForum: does anyone regret not having a shoulder strap on their Birkin?
Handle drop is the most argued spec. On the 25 plenty of owners cannot get an arm through at all, and a coat, thick sleeves or a bracelet stack settle the question for them.
4 sources · PurseForum: does anyone regret not having a shoulder strap on their Birkin?
Doing it up properly takes two hands, somewhere to set the bag down and real time. Security and convenience are a straight trade on this one.
3 sources · r/handbags: why are Hermès clasps always left open?
Attention comes with it. Owners describe feeling flashy on ordinary days, and one says she feels close to embarrassed when strangers clock what she is carrying.
3 sources · r/TheHermesGame: functionality of the Birkin and the Kelly

We write these in our own words from reviews published elsewhere, then let owners here vote them up or down. Read as of July 2026. Reputation shifts, so if one of these has stopped being true, mark it out of date.