MONEY BAGS!

Forget the stock market. Experts say luxury handbags can be a MUCH better investment. Here we reveal the winners and losers — and the women with a goldmine on their arm

Forget about the fluctuating pound and the price of gold. these days, experts say the best investment a girl can make is to build a decent collection of high-end handbags.

once seen as the ultimate frivolous purchase, designer bags have now become so coveted that many are almost guaranteed to give a good return. Just how lucrative the trade can be was demonstrated last week at auction house Christie’s, when a blue crocodile- skin Hermes Birkin, decorated with white gold and 18- carat diamonds, fetched £ 125,000, making it the most expensive handbag ever sold in europe.

other bags by top designers, including Chanel and Louis Vuitton, also went for thousands of pounds. And to those in the know, these prices come as no surprise.

‘ Designer handbags are an excellent investment,’ says Will thomas, who runs online antiques- trading business Love Antiques. ‘there is also a huge market in what we call “future antiques”. In other words, pieces that aren’t obvious collectables now, but may be worth a fortune in a few years’ time.’

Hermes handbags like the recordbreaking Birkin, he confides, are a bit of a sure thing — their worth is almost legendary. But bags by other well-known designers, such as gucci, Fendi and Prada, are also a sound investment, with the advantage that first-time handbag investors will be able to pick them up at a far cheaper price.

the surge in value has been fuelled to a large extent by buyers from Asia, especially China, and the fact that even when the economy is in a downturn they remain status symbols for the richest women in the world, who are usually recession-proof.

Luxury handbags now are estimated to increase in value by around 8 per cent a year on average — a better return than any bank account. And then, of course, there’s the fact you get to enjoy your purchase in the meantime.

Vintage bags of any sort are also in demand, and a keen collector with an eye for quality can make a good profit on them.

But can the average fashion lover really make a go of it in the world of handbag buying? Here, the women who have made a fortune from their handbags show us the ones to buy, the ones to hold — and the ones that mean you’ll lose your shirt . . .

SOME HAVE A PENSION — I CHOOSE HANDBAGS

Charlotte riCard (right), 29, lives in london and runs events company la Fete. She owns 25 bags on which she spent £40,000, and which are now estimated to be worth £70,000. My LoVe affair with handbags started when I was young. For Christmas when I was 16, I asked my parents for the Louis Vuitton Pochette handbag, the smallest one it does, and I carried it around until it fell apart.

then, for my 21st birthday, my mother gave me a jumbo Chanel in black lambskin, which I still treasure.

My father collected art, so I’m used to the idea of investing in this way. He appreciated beautiful paintings, but he also knew what would eventually gain value. In the same way, I buy beautiful handbags which I love using — and which are increasing in value.

It is satisfying seeing the prices go up. My tan Hermes Kelly bag, for which I paid £1,800, can now be found online for up to £7,000. And my vintage eighties Chanel bag, which cost about £850, is now retailing at well over £2,000.

I am also the proud owner of a massive Louis Vuitton trunk, which I love so much I designed my sitting room around it. It has been by far my best investment, costing £8,500 four years ago and is now worth around £15,000.

Just as some people pay into a pension every month, I save up towards my next investment bag on my wish list. you can have a bad-hair day or feel bloated, but a bag always comes through. they’re as reliable a fashion statement as they are a financial asset.

A £1,000 BAG? NO ONE BATS AN EYELID HERE!

SuSie NelSoN (right) is in her 50s, married and owns vintage shop Modes & More in Pimlico, Central london. She owns 50 bags at a cost of around £7,000, which are now estimated to be worth £30,000. ALtHougH I have a pigskin Hermes bag, a Hermes Constance in black crocodile and a black Chanel bag, I don’t think of them as especially flashy.

In the wealthy part of London where I live, no one bats an eyelid if you carry a £1,000 bag.

that said, I notice that Hermes Constance bags similar to mine are retailing for well over £12,000 on vintage websites, while pigskin Hermes Birkin bags are £5,000.

Not all my bags are super expensive by any means — I have a few by Bally which were only a couple of hundred pounds.

Nobody knows the value of a vintage handbag better than I, though my personal collection isn’t purely for investment. A purist would keep them in their original boxes, well away from direct sunlight and carefully wrapped in dust bags. But I love to use mine.

I’ve always had an interest in fashion. the year I left university I applied for a job with Anna Wintour when she edited British Vogue. I was disappointed to miss the spot,

but I ended up working in the City for a few years — which luckily taught me about how to make a savvy investment.

But after opening my shop, I very quickly became fascinated with the world of vintage: the history — and the soaring interest in handbags. If you can get a red or green crocodile bag, everybody wants one, and Kellys and Birkins — both by Hermes — always hold their value.

Other pieces come back round into fashion; just as mobile phones have got smaller, little evening bags have made a return.

MY COLLECTION SAVED US FROM RUIN

Kate Beavis (right), 44, lives in Bedfordshire with her husband adam, 43, who works in construction, and their two children, aged six and nine. she has spent less than £2,000 on 150 bags that are now estimated to be worth £15,000. My vIntage handbags are an at- home, high-interest savings account, with a return of £13,000 in less than a decade. I’ve spent only £2,000 on the whole lot — I’m very careful about what I buy, and I focus on pieces that I know will gain in value.

My most expensive item is a Chanel bag, for which I paid around £150 online and is now worth well over £1,000. the most desirable, from a collector’s point of view, is a Forties piece made from Lucite — an early type of plastic. In 20 years’ time, the rarity value means it will be worth at least £1,000.

My collection was born from necessity. Our family had a terrible year in 2008 when the financial crash struck. I was on maternity leave and suddenly my husband’s work dried up. I started selling my vintage handbags and began to see my carefully curated collection as an investment for the future.

My bags are now stored wrapped in dust jackets to protect them. I also have a cabinet for the more valuable ones — to keep them well away from the kids’ sticky hands.

I’ve become an expert over the years and I’ve even written a book. If you know what you’re looking for, you can buy a vintage handbag worth £150 for a tenner.

now I have a collection of 150, which I think of as my nest-egg.