Forget the S&P 500. If you have the dough, one luxury investment has crushed the market over time.

A couple walk with Hermes shopping bags as they leave an Hermes store in Paris March 21, 2013. Hermes on Thursday said operating margin last year reached its highest level since the French luxury group listed in 1993 on robust demand for its hand-crafted leather goods and printed silk scarves.

REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

• Hermès handbags outperformed S&P 500 last year, even as the stock market surged.
• Mini Kelly II handbags and Birkins outperformed the broader market, up 259% and 242% respectively.