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Handbags & Purses - Designer Brands

Perhaps the most enduring of practical everyday companions, bags have been used by both women and men throughout the ages to carry their belongings. Today, handbags and purses are much more than highly-functional accessories; they are steadfast statement makers of the fashion set.

Take a stroll down luxurious boutique-lined Avenue Montaigne in Paris or New York's swanky Madison Avenue, and you'll see that bags dominate the window displays of high-end stores. No other accessory can match the success and power of fashionable bags, which can resemble everything from structured train cases to slouchy bindle-style sacks.

At auction houses around the world, handbags and purses are increasingly figuring prominently in catalogs. They favor bags ranging from ultra-rare, just-large-enough under-arm evening clutches to nearly-impossible-to-find oversized holdalls.

The purse auction market has produced record sales in recent years. In some cases, limited-edition pre-owned bags can go for as much as 200 percent of their original retail value at auction.


Quick Facts

  • A small 19th century woolen bag handmade by British monarch Queen Victoria sold for $1,249 in 2009 at Bonhams in Edinburgh, Scotland
  • At a Heritage auction in 2011, a one-of-a-kind Hermès Kelly bag in porosus crocodile and fine black leather went for $125,000
  • Luxury handbag prices have risen steadily. The industry has realized an annual growth rate of more than 50 percent in recent years, helping to spark increased interest in vintage bag auctions

Recommended Items at Auction

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BALENCIAGA Paris
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
BALENCIAGA Paris
by Lawsons
Est: AUD300- AUD400
AUD47524 Bids
ISSEY MIYAKE Bao Bao metallic black/navy bag, 32cm x 32cm
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
ISSEY MIYAKE Bao Bao metallic black/navy bag, 32cm x 32cm
by Lawsons
Est: AUD250- AUD350
AUD22022 Bids
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Hermes Framboise Veau Madame Birkin 25
Mar 05, 1:00 PM EST
Hermes Framboise Veau Madame Birkin 25
by Market Auctions
Est: $8,000- $12,000
$7,80020 Bids
LONGCHAMP red leather tote bag, Height 22cm x Width 30cm x Depth 13cm
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
LONGCHAMP red leather tote bag, Height 22cm x Width 30cm x Depth 13cm
by Lawsons
Est: AUD200- AUD300
AUD37520 Bids
BOTTEGA VENETA Woven Pouch Crossbody Bag, Height 15cm x Width 22cm, B08011628E
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
BOTTEGA VENETA Woven Pouch Crossbody Bag, Height 15cm x Width 22cm, B08011628E
by Lawsons
Est: AUD600- AUD800
AUD47518 Bids
MARC BY MARC JACOBS Tan Crossbody Bag, Height 15cm x Width 26.5cm
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
MARC BY MARC JACOBS Tan Crossbody Bag, Height 15cm x Width 26.5cm
by Lawsons
Est: AUD80- AUD120
AUD26018 Bids
JEROME DREYFUSS Velvet Polka Dot Lulu Bag, Height 19cm x Width 26cm x Depth 11cm
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
JEROME DREYFUSS Velvet Polka Dot Lulu Bag, Height 19cm x Width 26cm x Depth 11cm
by Lawsons
Est: AUD150- AUD250
AUD24015 Bids
RAG & BONE Black leather Tote, RB02710-014, Height 29cm x Width 32cm
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
RAG & BONE Black leather Tote, RB02710-014, Height 29cm x Width 32cm
by Lawsons
Est: AUD80- AUD120
AUD16012 Bids
A-ESQUE red Crossbody clutch bag, Height 21cm x Width 34cm
Feb 13, 7:30 PM AEDT
A-ESQUE red Crossbody clutch bag, Height 21cm x Width 34cm
by Lawsons
Est: AUD100- AUD150
AUD16012 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Handbags & Purses - Designer Brands


Lawsons

Lawsons

Kinghams Auctioneers

Kinghams Auctioneers

Everard Auctions and Appraisals

Everard Auctions and Appraisals

Freeman’s | Hindman

Freeman’s | Hindman