Hermes Constance 18 Mini Alligator

A bag named for a baby

Hermes tells the story this way: Jean-Louis Dumas asked a designer to create a bag for the house, and the young woman, pregnant at the time, named it after her new daughter, Constance. Auction-market guides identify her as Catherine Chaillet, a Hermes draftswoman.

The date depends on the source. Hermes's own account places the commission in 1967, while two auction-house guides give 1959 for the bag's debut. The house describes the Constance as an urban bag with a quietly sporty spirit, meant for women with a confident stride.

The Constance 18 was the original size. Later sizes include the 14, the 24 and the elongated Elan, while the 23, 25 and 29 have been discontinued. With the Birkin and the Kelly, the Constance is counted among the three most coveted Hermes bags.

The H that opens

The defining feature is the clasp. The large H on the flap is not only a logo but the closure: it opens and closes by a spring mechanism concealed on each side of the metal bar fixed to the flap. A sliding strap lets the bag be worn against the hip or on the shoulder.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was frequently photographed carrying a Constance, and the hands-free leather strap was part of the appeal. Each Constance is made by a single artisan, a process of about 14 to 18 hours.

Many examples carry a small mirror inside. One merchant describes a removable mirror with a matching alligator tab on a gold matte alligator Constance 18.

Why alligator

Hermes uses three main reptile skins. Alligator mississippiensis, native to the southern United States, has a fine texture, smooth surface and no visible pores, which gives it a cleaner, more uniform look than crocodile. Porosus crocodile comes primarily from Australia and Niloticus crocodile from the Nile region of Africa.

Alligator comes shiny, buffed with agate stones to a mirror-like gloss, or matte, rubbed with wool felt. One auction guide lists alligator among the exotic Constance 18s offered to a small circle of top clients and cites an alligator example at $34,500 at retail. A merchant notes that matching scales and keeping the color consistent across a bag this small requires specialized artisans.

On a Constance the H clasp sits on alligator rather than calfskin, and the exotic bags are often finished in gold hardware. Colors on the secondary market range from neutrals such as Chai, a creamy toffee shade, Gris Perle and Gold to brights such as Mykonos blue, Vert Emeraude and Rouge de Coeur.

Sales and asking prices

In June 2021 a 2020 shiny Rouge de Coeur alligator Mini Constance 18 with gold hardware sold online in New York for $30,000, above its estimate of $20,000 to $26,000.

Hong Kong and London have produced most other public results. A 2017 matte Bleu Paon example with gold hardware sold in London for GBP 20,000 in June 2017. A 2017 shiny Vert Emeraude example with gold hardware brought HKD 275,000 in May 2018, and a 2019 matte black example with rose gold hardware brought HKD 325,000 in July 2020. Online in Hong Kong, a 2017 shiny Mykonos example with gold hardware sold for HKD 163,800 in September 2023 and a 2017 matte Gris Perle example with gold hardware for HKD 189,000 in March 2024.

Estimates show the range. A 2015 black shiny example with gold hardware was estimated at $15,000 to $20,000 in 2024, a 2021 matte Jaune Bourgeon example with palladium hardware at $18,000 to $28,000, and a 2022 Gold matte Mississippiensis example with gold hardware at HKD 120,000 to 180,000 in Hong Kong in 2026. In October 2026 a Miami merchant offered a new Chai matte alligator Constance 18 with gold hardware at $57,645.

How to identify one

Look first for the skin mark. Beside the Hermes stamp, a square identifies alligator, a caret Porosus crocodile and a double dot Niloticus crocodile. One listing notes the Hermes Paris Made in France stamp sits on the front, under the flap.

Measurements vary slightly by catalog: 18 by 15 by 5 centimeters, 18 by 15 by 4, 18 by 14 by 6, or 18 by 15 by 5.5. A merchant lists a strap of 22 inches single and 12 inches doubled.

Small differences matter. A Constance 18 is not the Constance 24 or the Elan, and a lizard or crocodile Constance is a different object from an alligator one. The skin mark and the scale pattern, smooth and poreless for alligator, settle the question.

The numbers

Dimensions

About 18 x 15 x 4-5 cm (catalogs vary); strap 22 in single, 12 in doubled

Material

Alligator mississippiensis, matte (felt-rubbed) or shiny (agate-polished)

Hardware

Gold-plated H clasp with concealed spring mechanism

Skin mark

Square beside the Hermes stamp

Craft

One artisan, about 14 to 18 hours for a Constance

Production quantity

Not published

Timeline

1. 1959

   The year two auction-house guides give for the Constance's debut.

2. 1967

   Jean-Louis Dumas commissions the bag, according to Hermes; its designer names it after her daughter.

3. Jun 12, 2017

   A 2017 matte Bleu Paon alligator Mini Constance 18 with gold hardware sells in London for GBP 20,000.

4. May 30, 2018

   A 2017 shiny Vert Emeraude alligator Mini Constance 18 with gold hardware sells in Hong Kong for HKD 275,000.

5. Jul 10, 2020

   A 2019 matte black alligator Mini Constance 18 with rose gold hardware sells in Hong Kong for HKD 325,000.

6. Jun 9, 2021

   A 2020 shiny Rouge de Coeur alligator Mini Constance 18 with gold hardware sells online in New York for $30,000.

7. Sep 21, 2023

   A 2017 shiny Mykonos example with gold hardware sells online in Hong Kong for HKD 163,800.

8. Mar 20, 2024

   A 2017 matte Gris Perle example with gold hardware sells online in Hong Kong for HKD 189,000.

9. 2026

   A 2022 Gold matte Mississippiensis alligator Mini Constance 18 is offered in Hong Kong with an estimate of HKD 120,000 to 180,000.

10. Oct 2026

    A Miami merchant offers a new Chai matte alligator Constance 18 with gold hardware at $57,645.

The world in 1967

• Jan 27, 1967

  Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee die in the Apollo 1 launch-pad fire.

• May 26, 1967

  The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

• May 30, 1967

  Biafra declares independence from Nigeria.

• Jun 5, 1967

  The Six-Day War begins; it ends June 10.

• Jul 23, 1967

  Riots break out in Detroit and last until July 31.

• Oct 8, 1967

  Che Guevara is captured in Bolivia.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Hermes Constance 18 Mini Alligator is number 12 of 100 in the handbags entries of the FLOAT 100. 19 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (95 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The Constance is named after its designer's daughter; Hermes says she was pregnant when she designed it.
• The H on the flap is the clasp itself, opened by springs hidden in the bar.
• The 18 is the Constance's original size, not a later miniature.
• Hermes alligator comes from the southern United States, while its crocodiles come from Australia and Africa.
• Hermes marks alligator with a small square beside its stamp.
• Sizes 23, 25 and 29 of the Constance have been discontinued.