Olly Olly Ostrich Bags
For Birdie Birkins, Bigger ain't Better
Autruche, Struthio Camelus, Birdie, whatever you call it, Ostrich bags occupy a unique position in the Hermes ouvre. This pock-marked leather get its quintessential quills from the giant bird’s giant feathers. Hermes strives to use skins sporting only the most numerous and evenly-spaced quills, which in recent years has led to a markedly decreased production, capped for the most part at 30cm. Larger skins with quality quills have become difficult to source, so larger Ostrich bags have been relegated (or elevated?) to the realm of occasional creations.
Over the years, the prices for these bags at auction have trended downward. Peaking in public opinion in the mid-2000’s with Victoria Beckham’s iconic Fuchsia 35cm Ostrich Birkin crowning her all-pink outfit while cheering on her husband David, the attitude towards these bags has since become mixed. Notably, the handles of an Ostrich Birkin or Kelly tend to darken rather fast with use, though this is hardly noticeable on dark bags. The skin is also prone to sun-bleaching if carried outside often or kept somewhere regularly exposed to natural light. That being said, its admirers love the subtle differences in spot-arrangement on each bag, the bold polka-dot effect the quills have, and the delicate play of lines around that trail all over the bag.
Ostrich Birkins
The 30cm Birkin holds the bulk of auction results for Ostrich bags, and overall have retained their average value at just under $25,000 (which is more-or-less what a 30cm Ostrich Birkin retails for at Hermes today). Larger 35cm Ostrich Birkins have been increasing slightly, possibly as fewer are produced and fewer come to auction, the scarcity is felt by collectors when good examples emerge. 25cm Ostrich Birkins, which have historically been quite rare buck these trends to follow the overall mini-mania that has overtaken bag-world in recent years. The two most recent examples in this diminutive size topped $45,000 in separate Christie’s auctions.
Ostrich Kellys
While over 300 Ostrich Birkins have sold at auction, only around half as many Ostrich Kellys have crossed the block. Breaking down these results by construction and size, few categories hold more than 10 auction results. The most numerous of these are Ostrich 25cm Sellier Kellys, of which 23 have sold at auction averaging $35,015. Ostrich Kellys on average decline in value as the increase in size. The new Mini-Kelly 20 II averages over $38,400 at auction, the highest of any size. In 28cm, the Ostrich Sellier Kelly averages just over $29,000, with larger sizes bringing even less. Though rarely seen in Retourne construction, this value hierarchy remains, with the sole 25cm example topping all others at $30,000. Vintage Ostrich Kellys tell almost the same story, with 20cm examples taking top rank, but no vintage 28cm Ostrich Kellys have sold at auction for years, and the numbers for 35cm ones have been trending upward.
Ostrich Constances & Pochettes
The auction results for Ostrich Constances can been broken down similarly to those for Ostrich Kellys. The 18cm mini-Constance averages a steady $18,000, while it’s larger cousin, the 24cm, has trended downward over the last five years. Vintage Ostrich Constances have been climbing slightly, but still rarely top $10,000 at auction.
The Kelly Pochette is a singular clutch, no need to parse results for these Ostrich bags. While most have sold in the $10,000-$20,000 range, more examples have recently topped $20,000 with a recent record set by a Bleuet Ostrich Pochette with Gold hardware that Christie’s sold in July 2020 for over $48,250.
Ostrich Ghillies
In 2014 Hermes launched their most spectacular realization of an Ostrich bag. Created in four color-ways as either a 30cm Birkin or 32cm Kelly, the Ostrich Ghillies bags showcased not only three colors and Permabrass hardware, but also the perforated Ghillie broguing details associated with the collection. Over the last eight years 27 of these bags have sold at auction with prices ranging from under $20,000 to over $70,000, averaging around $35,000. Parsing these results to rank the colors and styles, it would appear the Purple 30cm Birkin takes gold, though the $56,402 average is taken from only one result achieved at Christies in June 2015. The $49,116 average for the Brown Kelly colorway may come as a surprise, though it is skewed by a result from Christies in June 2015 that topped $61,000. The only other example sold for just under $37,000 also at Christies, in June of the following year. The true top tier belongs to the Blue Birkin version, which took the record of $72,522 at Christies in November 2014, and has since sold for around $38,000 $42,000 and $45,000 in subsequent auctions.
Exceptional Examples
Hermes Graphite Ostrich 25cm Constance with Brushed Palladium Hardware, 1999 - Christie’s November 27, 2018 - $12,777
Hermes Rouge Vif Ostrich & Officer Canvas 32cm Sellier Kelly with Gold Hardware, 1985 - Heritage Auctions March 25, 2018 - $15,000
Hermes Poudre Ostrich 45cm Long-Handle Birkin with Gold Hardware, 1997 - Christie’s May 31, 2015 - $6,450
Hermes Poudre Ostrich & Toile 35cm Birkin with Gold Hardware, 1997 - Christie’s June 9, 2021 - $17,500
Hermes Unique Metallic Silver Ostrich 30cm Birkin with Palladium Hardware, 2000 - Christie’s March 8, 2015 - $86,220