Rare Hermès Bags and Judith Leiber Collection Head to Heritage Auctions

Heritage Auctions is bringing a wide mix of high-end handbags and collectible luxury accessories to auction October 1, with rare Hermès pieces sharing the spotlight with a private collection of Judith Leiber minaudières assembled over more than 25 years. The Autumn Luxury Accessories Signature Auction includes limited-edition Hermès Kellys and Birkins, collectible Chanel and Louis Vuitton pieces, and a large group of Leiber’s crystal-covered evening bags.

One of the most unusual Hermès pieces is a Shiny Black Porosus Crocodile and Ostrich Feather Folie Kelly Elan. The limited release combines black crocodile with ostrich feather detailing, giving the familiar Kelly shape a much more dramatic look.

Several other black Hermès bags are also among the highlights, including a Limited Edition 32cm So Black Box Kelly and a 20cm Black Box Clouté Mini Kelly. Heritage is also offering a 20cm Black Epsom Leather Mini Kelly en Désordre, a version that intentionally shifts and rearranges elements of the traditional Kelly design.

The auction includes more colorful Hermès pieces as well. A Limited Edition Bleu Nuit and Violet Cosmos Togo HAC Birkin is part of the sale, along with a 14cm “Lucky Daisy” Micro Picotin, a Rose Tyrien Micro Mini Kelly, a Shiny Cactus Alligator Pochette and a Matte Verde Jade Alligator Mini Bolide.

Chanel is represented by several newer and harder-to-find designs, including pieces from the Métiers d’Art collection by Matthieu Blazy. Heritage highlights a handwoven leopard-motif Maxi Flap Bag, a Chanel 25 Mini Handbag and a Black and White Small Shopping Bag.

There is also a rare Black Satin and Leather Pearl Mini Flap Bag, along with Mini Kelly Shoppers and several minaudières. One of the most elaborate is a Gold Crystal and Enamel Birdcage minaudière, a piece that functions as much like a small decorative object as a handbag.

Louis Vuitton adds another unusual piece with a rare Saffron Leather Soft Truck Messenger Bag 1929, which reworks the house’s trunk-inspired design language into a smaller collectible accessory.

The Judith Leiber portion of the auction has a more personal story behind it. The collection was built over more than 25 years by a father who regularly bought Leiber handbags as gifts for his daughter, relatives and family friends. Shortly before his death at age 87, he was still buying bags to give away. His family later found a box in his basement containing 17 minaudières that he had intended to give as gifts. His daughter continued the tradition afterward, giving pieces to family and friends in his memory.

Heritage Auctions says the collection includes both vintage and more recent Leiber designs, many of which are rarely offered on the secondary market. Among the standouts are a Blue and Green Crystal Peacock Peek-A-Boo, a Blue and Silver Crystal Scottie Schnauzer, a Bronze and Black Crystal Kinkaku-ji Zen Temple, a Blue and Gold Crystal Tie The Knot Tiered Cake, a Black Crystal Fiery Big Cat and a Blue Crystal Bird.

The range is typical of what has made Leiber’s bags especially collectible. Many are designed as miniature sculptures, taking the form of animals, buildings, flowers, food and other unexpected subjects rather than traditional handbag shapes. Heritage says individual Leiber minaudières can take as long as two years to make and may involve as many as 20 artisans. The pieces are sculpted, molded, painted and cut before crystals and semiprecious stones are applied by hand.

Heritage’s Autumn Luxury Accessories Signature Auction takes place October 1.