Burberry Tote Bag from HBO's 'Succession' Sparks Frenzy at Auction

The beige and red tartan tote bag, featured in the HBO series, illustrated the difference between new money and old money. Sold online on Saturday, the accessory and what it represents sparked a bidding frenzy among buyers.

It was on the list of some 200 accessories from the series "Succession" auctioned off this weekend. The Burberry tote bag, worn by the character Bridget in the fourth season, caused as much excitement in real life as it did on screen during the event organized by Heritage Auction. Indeed, more than 10,000 people placed bids, for a total sales amount exceeding 575,000 euros, equating to half a million euros to be shared between HBO and Heritage Auction.

Among the lots offered, such as fake sausages (sold for 4,800 euros), cue cards (sold for nearly 23,000 euros), and a scorpion paperweight (which went for 9,000 euros), one item particularly caught the public's attention: a Burberry bag. Sold by the brand for between 1,500 and 3,000 euros, the tote bag fetched a whopping 18,750 dollars at auction, approximately 17,223 euros. The reason? Its popularity, having caused a sensation over the past few months. Just two days after the episode aired, Google searches, according to 3D Look, skyrocketed: +310% for "Burberry Tote Bag" and +180% for "Burberry Handbag." The now-famous tote bag even made it into the New York Times' 71 personalities of the year 2023...

Ridiculously Spacious

"She brought a ridiculously big bag. What could possibly be in there? Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch box? I mean, Greg, it's monstrous. It's gargantuan. You could take it camping." These are the words used by the character Tom Wambsgans to describe Bridget's accessory, Greg's girlfriend (the not-so-dim-witted cousin of the Roys) in the fourth season. With said bag, Bridget aims to fit in; but the opposite happens. Too big, too flashy, and too recognizable, her bag is, according to Tom, the antithesis of the ultra-rich Roy family's quiet luxury, thus crystallizing her ignorance of the milieu's codes. Whether a rich heir or a wealthy upstart, the buyer of this famous bag surely has a lot of money, and therefore, a lot of humor.