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This Purse Sold for $300,000 in a Record-Setting Auction

By:
Denver Nicks
Last Updated: May 31, 2016 | 1 min read
A Matte White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Birkin with 18K gold and diamond hardware -- one of the most valuable handbags in the world -- sits on display during a preview at Christies in Hong Kong on May 4, 2016. - ISAAC LAWRENCE—AFP/Getty Images
A Matte White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Birkin with 18K gold and diamond hardware -- one of the most valuable handbags in the world -- sits on display during a preview at Christies in Hong Kong on May 4, 2016. ISAAC LAWRENCE—AFP/Getty Images

A Birkin handbag made of white crocodile skin is likely the most expensive purse in the world, after it went for more than $300,000 in an auction at Christie’s in Hong Kong on Monday.

The matte-white crocodile-hide handbag went to an unknown buyer for $300,168 -- well above Christie’s initial price estimate of between $194,000 and $259,000. The handbag is believed to have fetched a higher price than any bag ever sold at auction, reports CNBC.

Himalayan Birkins—so named because the hide of a Nilo crocodile is laboriously dyed to create a gray and white coloring reminiscent of snow-capped mountains—are some of the most sought-after purses on earth. They include hardware made of 18-karat white gold and diamonds.

Experts believe the luxury manufacturer Hermés makes only or two of the purses every year.

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