This July, Sotheby’s Paris resold the original Birkin, owned by the late actress Jane Birkin for a record breaking $10.1 million, making it the world’s most expensive handbag ever sold at auction. Now, the one-off Le Birkin Voyageur, another of the four handbags owned by the actress will appear for auction this December – in Abu Dhabi.

The Le Birkin Voyageur will be part of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Collector’s Week auction, held at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, from 2nd - 5th December 2025.

The black Birkin bag itself was gifted to Jane Birkin by Hèrmes, after she sold the original bag she had, which was a prototype.

The name of the bag, ‘Le Birkin Voyageur’ is a reference to the message written inside the bag by Birkin herself, and is valued at $230,000 - $430,000 USD.

The bag is a black Birkin 40 (sized at 40cms), with poetic handwritten notes in silver ink scribbled across the interior pockets. Among the detailed notes, is a quote, “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).

Presented in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week is Sotheby’s inaugural marquee auction series in the region. The event spans multiple luxury and collectible categories, including high jewellery, rare timepieces, world-leading collector cars and exclusive real-estate from RM Sotheby’s and Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions, alongside a museum quality exhibition of international fine art.

Images courtesy Sotheby's