Hermes Birkin Bag sells for record $222K

HONG KONG -- A Hermes designer handbag sold at a Christie's auction house in Hong Kong on Monday morning for a record $222,000.

A mystery phone bidder bought the fuchsia crocodile Birkin Bag that's encrusted with diamonds and has 18 carat white gold hardware.

It sold for 1.72 million Hong Kong dollars, which is $222,219 U.S. dollars.

The sale smashed the $203,000 record for a handbag, another Birkin Bag in red crocodile skin, reached at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2011.

The Birkin Bag was designed for and named after British actress Jane Birkin. It's famous for having a price tag in the thousands of dollars and a years-long waiting list.

The bag was one of more than 300 that Christie's put on the block in Hong Kong, which has emerged as a global auction center thanks to wealthy mainland Chinese.

Christie's said a black Birkin Bag that's scheduled to go on the block later in the same auction may sell for even more than Monday's record price.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.