On the very rare occasion that a Hermès Birkin bag comes up for auction, it offers buyers an irresistible opportunity to jump the minimum two-year queue for this notoriously luxurious item of ladies’ luggage.

Imagine the delight, then, when news rippled across high-end Hong Kong that the local Christie’s had somehow managed to wrangle a whopping seven of them into one of its most-widely-anticipated-ever winter sales. Sure enough, with a brigade of Birkin-bereft buyers making a beeline for the auction house, it was no surprise that total takings for the much-talked about-totes topped US$5.5 million, with half of their bags going for well beyond the initial estimates.

While none of the items of haute handbaggery failed to impress, most impressive of all was the Rare Matte White Himalaya Nilocticus Crocodile Retourné Kelly 28 with Palladium Hardware (2015), which went for a rather grand US$208,644 – more than double the estimate of US$77,038. Also of note was the sale of a Rare, Shiny Ombré Salvator Lizard Birkin 25 with Gold Hardware (2007), which went for US$60,988, and a Shiny Black Porosus Crocodile Sellier Mini Kelly 20 with Gold Hardware (1994) that went for a cool US$56,173.