You're on the Classic Flap line. Chanel makes four flap lines that look alike but close differently, and the closure moves the price more than the color.
Coco Chanel named it after its own birthday, and gave women back their hands.
Origin
Named for the month it was born
Chanel released the bag in February 1955 and called it the 2.55 after that date. Its real innovation was the shoulder strap. In her words, she was tired of carrying bags by hand and losing them, so she slipped a strap over her shoulder and freed her hands.
The burgundy lining echoes the uniforms of the Aubazine convent where Chanel was raised. The diamond quilting borrows from the jackets worn by racetrack jockeys. The rectangular clasp, known as the Mademoiselle lock, nods to the fact that she never married.
Guides for this bag
Articles on the Classic Flap and Chanel from our verified experts.
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Chanel’s boutiques say Small, Medium, Large, Maxi.
The resale world says Small, Medium (or “M/L”), Jumbo, Maxi.
So the “Jumbo” everyone says is Chanel’s “Large,” and the ~25.5 cm “Medium” has also been called the “M/L” (Medium/Large) over the years.
It shifted again in March 2024: Chanel relabeled the Medium on its own site as the “11.12” (after its style code, A01112) and dropped the word “Medium.”
The reliable anchor is the measurement and the style code, not the size word. That’s why we print the cm next to every size.
Medians are our read of recorded resale, not an appraisal. Structure and status move the price more than the look. The full flap decoder →
median $4,135 (2658 recorded)
The tell: A rectangular push-button lock and a heavy chain on a boxy, structured shape.
Pick this if: You want the edgier, harder-structured Chanel with modern hardware.
When Karl Lagerfeld took over Chanel in 1983 he reworked the bag with the now-famous interlocking double-C turn-lock and a chain laced with leather. That version is the Classic Flap. The original clasp lives on in the bag Chanel still sells as the 2.55 Reissue.
Live listings for this bag across the marketplaces we track, each rated against the fair value for its spec. We don’t sell these, we link you to the seller. Prices change and sell.
Black/Grey/Ivoryvery good
Couture USA · listed yesterday
$2,500
vs all 20 resale records for this bag (limited spec data)View on Couture USA
Fair value is the median of recorded resale prices for that spec, broadened and labeled when a spec is thin. Landed estimates add each platform's typical buyer fees and shipping, before sales tax. An estimate, not an appraisal. Affiliate links may earn us a commission.