A few friends and I regularly attend a car boot in an affluent area of the country (I’m not saying exactly where because we found some treasures and I don’t want others to twig).
A while back, I found this bag being sold for £10. When I got home and examined it properly, I found out it was potentially a Dior saddle handbag.
Unfortunately, the strap broke recently – I roughly packed it when moving house. How much is it worth and should I spend some money to fix the strap? Nicola, via email.
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Fashion icon: The Dior saddle bag was huge in the early 2000s – but is this one a genuine bargain find?
Dan Hatfield, resident This is Money expert valuer, replies: The British car boot season is now in full swing, and it always puts a huge smile on my face to hear about the bargains people manage to unearth.
There’s something gloriously unpretentious about rummaging through boot loads of bric-a-brac hoping to find buried treasure, nestled between George Foreman grills and a dubious stack of Now That’s What I Call Music CDs.
I adore a car boot and can spend hours strolling up and down looking for valuables. I don’t even care my clothes end up stinking of friend onions from the burger van, in fact I often indulge in a quarter pounder (or two).
You’re absolutely on the money when it comes to attending car boots in affluent areas, this is one of my golden tips to car boot successfully.
Trust me, posh postcodes are where the real gems can be found. I’ve secured vintage Gucci, early Westwood, and once, a Rolex. Seriously. All for less than a family lunch on the high street.
Before I go completely off-piste and start waxing lyrical about my own finds, let me encourage you to do the same.
Car boots aren’t just a brilliant way to pick up bargains, they’re also the beating heart of a more circular society where we reuse, repurpose, and recycle.
Now let me climb down from my sustainably sourced soapbox and indulge in some early 2000s nostalgia, because nothing screams the noughties quite like this bag.
The Dior Saddle Bag is fashion royalty.
A relic of Y2K fabulousness, it conjures up images of Britney and Justin in double denim at the American Music Awards, Sarah Jessica Parker tottering around Manhattan, and Paris Hilton with a teacup chihuahua under one arm and this bag slung over the other.
Designed by the infamously theatrical John Galliano during his reign at Dior, the Saddle Bag made its debut in the Spring/Summer 2000 collection.
Galliano, never one to shy away from drama, took inspiration from equestrian saddles, mixing the silhouette with streetwear influences.
The result is a handbag that looks like it belongs on both a catwalk and in Texas, which somehow, works.
The version you’ve found is crafted from denim, a textile that was very much in vogue during the early 2000s.
It is not one of the more common monogram canvas versions, but something rarer.
However, your bag has had a rough ride recently and it shows. You mentioned that the strap broke during a house move and you would have to pay to have this fixed if you wanted to achieve the most money for this item.
In its current, strap-challenged condition, your Dior Saddle Bag could easily fetch between £400 and £600 in today’s vintage market.
Strap saga: While it is a genuine saddle bag, it’s not in brilliant condition – so it could be worth fixing to maximise value
There’s a fierce appetite among collectors for original Galliano-era pieces, particularly denim styles.
Yours ticks all the boxes: early 2000s, rare material, cult status, and nostalgia value by the bucketload.
But let’s talk upgrades. If you’re willing to invest £100 to £200 into a professional repair (and I stress professional — this is not a job for your local cobbler with a staple gun), that number could jump dramatically.
A fully restored, authenticated Dior denim Saddle Bag can sell for upwards of £1,000.
I would suggest taking it to a reputable luxury reseller like This Old Thing London who can advise on the repair needed and potentially find you a buyer.
You wouldn’t have to wait long to sell your bag either.
Since 2018, when Dior’s current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri revived the Saddle Bag and paraded it back into the fashion mainstream, demand has skyrocketed.
Everyone from Bella Hadid to Rihanna has been spotted carrying one and as always, that kind of celebrity endorsement sends vintage prices soaring.
Do you really want to sell this bag though? You plucked it from obscurity in a car park somewhere in leafy suburbia and could give it a whole new lease of life yourself.
In the end, whether you sell it, sling it over your shoulder, or display it on a shelf as a piece fashion history, one thing’s certain, your tenner went a very, very long way.
I am so delighted to see others jump on the car boot hype. They truly are a British institution and there is treasure to be found in other people’s trash.
I hope your next Sunday stroll will be as fruitful as this find but please, do be a little more careful when you pack up your valuable items.
Send in your Modern Treasures
Dan Hatfield: Our columnist is ready to value your Modern Treasure
Dan Hatfield is This Morning’s money-making expert and resident pawnbroker. He is an international specialist in antiques, jewellery, diamonds and collectibles.
Dan’s first non-fiction book, Money Maker: Unlock Your Money Making Potential (£16.99, published by Hodder Catalyst) is available now.
This is Money’s Modern Treasures column is after your items and collections for valuations.
Please send in as much information as possible, including photographs, to: editor@thisismoney.co.uk with the email subject line: Modern Treasures
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Nothing in his replies constitutes regulated financial advice. Published questions are sometimes edited for brevity or other reasons.
As with anything, if you are looking to sell items and collections, it is wise to get a second and third opinion – not just rely on Dan’s suggestions.
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