If Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones can’t do it, what shopaholic can? That is, skip the two-year queue for an Hermès Birkin bag, the ultimate status symbol? Well, Toronto fashionistas will have their chance this weekend.
Ritchies, Canada’s premier auction house, will be selling a Bridle Path home to the highest bidder. The homeowners have apparently taken the motto “out with the old, in with the new” to heart, because they’re also putting a selection of art, furniture, jewellery and handbags on the auction block. But the Birkins won’t come cheap.
The cobalt blue Birkin was purchased for $12,000 and the black Birkin (Togo leather, palladium hardware) $10,000. Both are in pristine condition. At auctions, Birkins tend to sell for more than retail, fetching up to $17,000 apiece, according to the managing director of Ritchies, Kashif Khan.
If you’re outbid on the Birkins, there’s always the Swarovski crystal-encrusted Armani bag — valued at more than $10,000 — or the never-before used (tags on) Louis Vuitton bags.
Other finds include a long strand of South Sea pearls — once valued at $1-million — and a near-flawless, nine karat yellow diamond, which Khan estimated would cost $400,000 to $500,000 on Bloor Street.
For that one other Habs fan in Toronto, there are autographed and framed Jean Béliveau and Maurice “Rocket” Richard jerseys up for grabs.
The main event (the five-bedroom home) is expected to sell for more than $6-million, which is the estimated land value. The flat, 2.35-acre property offers an opportunity to build a brand new home on the kind of large lot that rarely becomes available in Toronto.
While home auctions are widespread in the U.S., Ritchies believes this may be the first time a home in this city has been sold at auction.
Minimum bids are required for certain items, but these numbers are kept confidential. Bidders will be informed whether they’ve met the threshold.
The auction is scheduled for Oct. 28 at 6 Park Lane Circle. It’s open to the public, but seating is first come, first served, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early to register. Viewing begins at 11 a.m. and the auction is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. As with any auction, attendees are required to show government-issued photo identification to register.
