Woman's £80 charity shop Dior bag turns out rare find, sells for £7,870

A woman paid about £80 for a Dior bag in a Cotswolds charity shop without knowing if it was genuine; experts identified it as a rare 2003 Koi Saddle Bag, and it later sold for £7,870/Image: Kinghams AuctioneersA Dior handbag bought for about £80 in a Cotswolds charity shop has sold for £7,870 at auction in Moreton-in-Marsh.The woman had picked up the bag because she liked its design, without knowing whether it was genuine. She later took it to Kinghams auction house, where specialists identified it as a rare Koi Saddle Bag from Christian Dior's autumn/winter 2003 runway collection, the Daily Mail reported.The bag was identified as a limited-edition Christian Dior Koi Saddle Bag designed by John Galliano for the brand's autumn/winter 2003 runway season.£80 charity shop find identified as rare DiorThe handbag had initially been estimated at between £800 and £1,200. Its eventual sale price was more than six times the upper end of that estimate, driven by strong buyer interest.Kingham's said the bag was made in extremely limited numbers and is highly sought after by collectors of archival luxury handbags.The auction house said the owner had brought the bag in specifically to establish whether it was genuine. After specialists confirmed its identity and explained its significance, she decided to put it up for auction.Galliano design dates back to 2003The bag was created during John Galliano's time as Christian Dior's creative director. The British designer held the position from 1996 to 2011 and became known for experimental designs during his career.The Koi Saddle Bag forms part of Dior's Saddle Bag history, a line that became closely associated with Galliano's work at the fashion house.Its limited production is a major factor behind its appeal among collectors, according to Kinghams.A spokesman for the auction house said some collectors regard the particular model as a "Holy Grail" handbag because so few were produced.Bag sells for £7,870 after biddingThe final price reached £7,870 at Kinghams, turning the charity-shop purchase into a substantial return for its owner.Sophie Osborne, Kinghams' designer goods specialist, said the discovery was particularly notable because the bag had been found outside the specialist luxury market."It was the auction of the year for me," Osborne said.She added that discovering such a rare Dior and Galliano bag had been found in a charity shop was extraordinary and could prove to be the most significant find of her career.