An incredible Hermès Endless Road Birkin HAC handbag is set to sell for upwards of £30,000 at Fellows Auctioneers, in Birmingham. The beautifully-crafted handbag is Lot 141 in Fellows’ Designer Collection auction, which is open for bidding and ends on Monday 8th June. It has an estimate of £22,000 - £28,000.

The Endless Road handbag
The Endless Road handbag in all its beauty.

Why is it so rare?

Depicting a seemingly endless road, winding through a Californian landscape, the Endless Road motif was inspired by Pop Art paintings. The clever use of perspective invites the observer to set out on a “night of adventure”. Described by The Telegraph as “a rather joyous example of everything that sets Hermès apart”,this item was a calling card for the luxury French manufacturer.

This dark Endless Road design was the flagship pattern for the men’s universe at Hermès, under Véronique Nichanian. The 2018 leather collections used the Endless Road design both on small and big pieces. However, the Birkin HAC was the only piece to display the whole landscape, every other piece showed it partly or from a different angle. The stylish bag is constructed predominantly in the popular blue Togo Hermès leather. Each bag was meticulously crafted by an individual artisan from 47 leather pieces in 11 colours which were all hand-cut. The process took at least 30 hours per bag.

This bag’s hardware is polished palladium, including maker’s signature turn-lock fastening. The maker’s dust bag and box are sold with the lot to make this the perfect purchase for a fashion enthusiast.

The brand does not disclose how many were made but it is understood to be very few.

The Endless Road handbag

History of the Birkin design

Named after Jane Birkin following a flight from Paris to London with Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas in the eighties, the demand for these distinguished Birkin handbags has only increased as the years have gone by. The original Haut à courroies (HAC) bags were designed to transport equestrian equipment in 1900. Meaning tall (haut), with straps (courroies), the oversized bags are now more often purchased for weekend or travel bags and are worn by both men and women.

Sophie Higgs, Designer Collection Specialist from Fellows Auctioneers, said: “The Endless Road Hermès Birkin HAC is one of most interesting handbags we have ever had up for auction. The Endless Road design is extremely rare. It was only retailed by Hermès for a limited time and is no longer part of the current collection. The only way to purchase one of these handbags is through the secondary market. Given its scarcity, it will be sought-after in our June Designer Collection auction.”