January 1, Latest Smash-and-Grab Burglary Claims Nearly $1m in Luxury Handbags

A Florida luxury boutique was the latest victim of a smash-and-grab burglary, with thieves swiping nearly $1 million worth of handbags.

Virgil Rogers, the owner of Only Authentics in Palm Beach, said 13 one-of-a-kind Hermes bags were stolen after thieves broke the display window in the middle of the night.

Rogers said some of the bags are valued at more than $100,000 each, putting the total value of missing items at almost $1 million.

According to an employee, the most expensive bags stolen were a 40-centimeter green crocodile skin Kelly listed at $89,000 and a 32-centimeter Vert Bosphore Birkin listed at $110,000.

“Because Birkins and Kellys are so exclusive, we provide a way for people to get these bags in a nontraditional way, still giving them an opportunity (to collect),” an Only Authentics employee told the Palm Daily News.

There have been recent reports of similar smash-and-grab burglaries across the nation targeting luxury handbags and other high-end items.

Earlier this month, a man smashed a glass case in a Lamborghini showroom in Chicago, making off with $1 million in watches. In November, an Apple Store in California was the target of a “brazen daytime” smash-and-grab burglary, with four masked suspects grabbing over $20,000 in merchandise before fleeing the area.

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Luxury handbags swiped from high-end Palm Beach store