The prototype of the bag, designed in the mid-1980s for Jane Birkin, will be offered at Sotheby's Paris at the end of the month. A legendary sale that could well reach new heights.

Last fall, Sotheby's auction house presented Jane Birkin's historic bag as part of the Parisian exhibition Excellence à la Française . A few weeks later, the accessory flew to Hong Kong for a new exhibition, attracting thousands of curious onlookers.

An international craze that may have convinced its owner - a private individual - to switch from loan to sale, as the handbag is announced as the headline item of the Fashion Icons sale to be held alongside the next Haute Couture Week.