The auction house Sotheby's, which will handle the sale of the Birkin prototype on July 10, does not want to specify any starting price but expects a "bidding hysteria".
The Birkin bag has become a modern design icon and is so exclusive that Hermès only offers it to loyal customers. The prices start at around 10,000 dollars, equivalent to just over 95,000 Swedish kronor.
The previous auction record for a handbag was set by a specially designed Birkin in Hong Kong in 2017. The diamond-studded crocodile skin bag with details in white gold was sold for 510,000 dollars at Christie's.
The seller of the first Birkin bag is the well-known French handbag collector and dealer Catherine Benier, whose store in Paris' exclusive 6th district is only open by appointment. Benier tells The New York Times that the bag has been "the jewel of my collection".
The bag has changed owners twice since it was put up for sale by Birkin at an auction in 1994, where the proceeds went to a charity organization for the benefit of the fight against AIDS.
