Hermès Birkin 30 Shiny Niloticus Crocodile, Deep Green, Palladium Hardware, Q Stamp 2013, Full Set

A Birkin 30 in shiny Niloticus crocodile, lacquered to a deep forest green with palladium hardware, stamped Q for 2013 and complete with box, dust bag, padlock, keys, clochette and raincoat.

The Piece

The Birkin began in 1984 with a sketch on an air-sickness bag between Jean-Louis Dumas and Jane Birkin, and it has since become the most closely watched handbag in the world. Among the leathers Hermès offers, shiny crocodile sits at the very top: each skin is selected, tanned and glazed by hand to a mirror finish, and a single bag can take a craftsperson several days to complete.

This 30 cm example is cut from Crocodylus niloticus, the Nile crocodile, recognisable by the small, even scales and the faint pore mark in each tile. The glaze is a rich, saturated green, darker in shade and lighter where the light breaks across the belly scales, catalogued in Japan as Vert Bengale. The scale pattern is beautifully centred on the front panel, with the larger tiles running symmetrically down the middle as the house intends.

Palladium hardware gives a cool counterpoint to the green: the turn-lock, the plaque, the padlock and four base feet. Inside, matching green chèvre lines the bag with one zipped and one open pocket, heat-stamped HERMÈS PARIS MADE IN FRANCE beneath the front strap. The Q stamp dates it to 2013.

Thirty centimetres is the size most collectors call the ideal everyday Birkin: large enough for a day’s essentials, compact enough to carry by hand. In exotic green it is also a colour that rarely comes back on the secondary market.

Details

• Designer: Hermès
• Season: 2013 (Q stamp)
• Model / ref: Birkin 30
• Material: Shiny Niloticus crocodile leather; chèvre leather lining
• Colour: Deep green (catalogued as Vert Bengale; shade name not confirmed)
• Made in: France
• Tagged size: 30 cm
• Measurements: Width 30 cm · Height 22 cm · Depth 15.5 cm · Handle 34 cm
• Included: Box, dust bag, padlock, keys, clochette, raincoat

Condition

• Graded good in Japan: carried, with honest signs of use.
• Fine scratches and light creasing across the glazed scales, most visible on the front panel in raking light.
• Corners show light rubbing; shape is firm and upright.
• Interior clean with light handling marks; hardware with fine surface scratches.
• Crocodile leather: the bag leaves Japan with a CITES export permit, which we obtain before dispatch (allow extra time); please confirm that your country or state permits import of crocodilian goods before ordering.

Condition grade AB on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.

Authenticity & Care

Leather, saddle stitching, edge finish and blind stamp are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Keep away from water and direct sun, stuff lightly with tissue to hold the shape, and have the glaze refreshed only by an exotic-leather specialist.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.

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