€240,500 FOR A HANDBAG. AND YOU STILL HAVE TO CARRY IT YOURSELF.

There are handbags. There are Hermès handbags. And then there are handbags that sell in Monaco for €240,500. This rare Hermès Birkin Faubourg Sellier 20 “Neige” went under the hammer at the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo in July 2026. Estimated at €80,000–€120,000, bidding reached €185,000, with the final price rising to €240,500 including buyer's fees. And it isn't even a particularly big handbag. At just 20cm, the Birkin Faubourg is one of Hermès' more unusual creations. Rather brilliantly, it's designed to resemble the façade of the Hermès flagship boutique at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, complete with tiny architectural details. This 2021 “Neige” — or Snow — version combines white and beige leather with matte alligator and the sort of extraordinary craftsmanship you'd expect from Hermès. It's rare. It's collectible. It's beautifully made. And somebody has just spent almost a quarter of a million euros on it. For perspective, that's enough money to buy a rather serious car. Or several less-serious cars. Or approximately 24,000 €10 supermarket bags, although admittedly none of those will make quite the same entrance at the Hôtel de Paris. Perhaps calling it a handbag is missing the point. At this level, you're buying craftsmanship, scarcity, collectability and one of the most famous luxury names in the world. But there remains one unavoidable fact. It's still a bag. And you still have to carry it yourself.