How Birkin Bags Stack Up as Investments

published March 4, 2016

Birkin bags—those high-end totes from designer Hermès—have proved to be a stellar investment as well as a status symbol. From 1980 through 2015, the bags increased in value by an average of 14% annually, according to Baghunter.com, an online platform for buying and selling luxury handbags. You'll have to ante up to speculate in this market. Recently, an Electric Bleu crocodile Birkin bag carried a $94,500 price tag on Baghunter.

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Here's how Birkins stack up against other investments:

--Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. The broad market barometer returned 11% a year on average over the same period.

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--Gold (price per ounce). The volatile metal returned an average 2%.

--Rare collectible cars. The Top Index, compiled by the Historic Automobile Group International, includes the 1950s-era Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe and the mid 2000s Porsche Carrera GT. The index kept pace with Birkins, increasing by an average of 14% annually.

Annual inflation over the period was just over 3%.

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Lisa has been the editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance since June 2023. Previously, she spent more than a decade reporting and writing for the magazine on a variety of topics, including credit, banking and retirement. She has shared her expertise as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, Cheddar and many other media outlets around the nation. Lisa graduated from Ball State University and received the school’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014. A military spouse, she has moved around the U.S. and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.