Most Expensive Portable Camera
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury on July 13th, 2008Nowadays we may be able to snap pictures with our cell phones and pens and whatnot, but it wasn’t so long ago that you actually had to carry around a dedicated camera in order to capture that perfect moment. Recently, Germany’s Westlicht Photographica Auctions, known for their high class photographic collectors’ items, sold one of the earliest truly portable cameras, the O-Series Leica No. 107.
The Leica 107 was created in 1923 by Oskar Barnack as part of a small series of around 20 cameras developed to test the marketability of portable cameras. The seventh camera in the series, this antique camera also became the first Leica to be exported as it was sent to New York to be patented in the US.
(Courtesy of Gizmodo UK.)
This piece of photographic history sold for £240,000 (nearly $500,000 USD) at auction, making it the most expensive portable camera in the world. The auction also included such Leica scarcities as a 1956 gold-plated Leica M3 no. 834000 and a rare ‘Sheikh Al-Thani’ edition M6.
Most Expensive Surfboards
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art on July 13th, 2008
Marc Newson’s nickel-plated board
(via 360Guide.info)
The original surfboards were a Hawaiian invention made from local wood. Not only were these boards over 15 feet long, but they were quite heavy as well. Nowadays, surfboards are usually made from polyurethane foam covered in a few layers of fiberglass cloth and then coated with polyester resin.
The world’s most expensive surfboard is a little different.
Created by Australian designed Marc Newson, the most expensive surfboard is one of ten such boards created as pieces of art. That doesn’t mean that they’re just there to look pretty, though. The 5 foot boards were plated in nickel and polished to a mirror finish to reduce drag. Newson originally sold them for $100,000 apiece.
One of these boards was used by championship surfer Garrett McNamara. Unfortunately, McNamara wiped out, lost the board and discovered it the next day in the hands of someone 15 miles down the beach. That board is now on display at the Gagosian Gallery in New York.
Dick brewer’s “Surfboards Hawaiian”
(via Extremehorizon)
Newson designed them with the help of Dick Brewer, a legend in the field who has previous experience in designing a most expensive surfboard. One of his “Surfboards Hawaii” elephant gun boards, created in the 60s, was sold for $30,000 at auction in 2007. Only two others are known to exist.
While there are nine other of Newson’s nickel-plated surfboards, one sold at a Sotheby’s auction in NYC still commanded a far greater price than anyone expected when it was sold for a record-breaking $220,000. Now that’s an expensive way to hang ten!
Most Expensive Big Mac
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, World on July 13th, 2008In 1986, The Economist published a humorous attempt to quantify the purchasing power of different currencies. The article was so successful that they’ve published a new survey every year since the original was published. It’s called the Big Mac Index and, for our purposes, the most important thing it can tell us is where to buy the world’s most expensive Big Mac.
The Big Mac—consisting of two 1.6 oz beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion and special sauce served on a sesame seed bun—is McDonald’s signature sandwich. It was created in 1968 in Uniontown, Penn. by McDonald’s franchisee Jim Delligatti. Thankfully, the names he’d coined for the burger, “The Aristocrat” and the “Blue Ribbon Burger,” didn’t stick. An Advertising Secretary in McDonald’s corporate office was responsible for the name of the Big Mac. Since then, it has gained international recognition.
The most expensive Big Macs in the world come from Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. A Big Mac in Denmark will cost you 27.75 Danish kroner ($5.08 US). The same sandwich costs 6.30 Swiss francs ($5.20) or 40 Norwegian kroner ($6.88). The most expensive Big Mac in the world can be purchased in Iceland. It’ll cost you a whopping 469 kronur ($7.61).
Conversely, the cheapest Big Macs in the world can be purchased in Hong Kong and China, where they can be purchased for 12 dollars ($1.54) and 11 Yuan ($1.45) respectively.
While the Big Mac Index, lacking consideration for the many factors in the cost of a Big Mac that may not be present for other goods, provides a somewhat simplistic and flawed view of purchasing power parity, it’s the best tool available if you want to know where to purchase the world’s most expensive Big Mac.
Related Info
Most Expensive Desktop Computer
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury, World on July 12th, 2008A desktop computer can be an expensive investment, but most of that expense usually goes to the monitor and the gear inside the case. After all, an extraordinarily expensive case is still only $600 and nobody’s going to put a case like that over hardware that costs less than two or three times as much, right? Well, what if the case was made of platinum and diamonds? Zeus, a Japanese manufacturer, is selling a computer in just such a case. Their PC, called Jupiter, is the most expensive desktop computer in the world.
Jupiter features a case made of platinum and encrusted with jewels arranged in the shapes of constellations. As for the hardware, Jupiter features Intel’s 3GHz E6850 Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB of DDR 2 memory, a 1TB hard drive and a dual Blu-Ray/HD DVD drive. Additionally, it ships with a 24” 1920×1200 native resolution monitor.
The world’s most expensive desktop PC has been released in Japan, where it can be purchased for ¥80,000,000 ($748,720 USD). Of course, if you’re on a tight budget then you could opt for gold instead of platinum, reducing the price to ¥60,000,000 ($561,540).
Most Expensive Six-Pack of Beer
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, World on July 11th, 2008A six-pack of beer—it’s cheap, popular and alcoholic. At least one of those things isn’t necessarily true and, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know which one I’m talking about. Belgian beer company InBev advertises their Stella Artois brand as “Reassuringly Expensive.” Just how expensive is it? Well, a six-pack of their recent Nobilis brew [...]
Most Expensive Aquarium Fish
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, World on July 11th, 2008Some consider fish to be the perfect pets. They don’t make a mess, don’t smell bad, don’t make noise, don’t need to be walked and you can put a bunch of them in the same room without worrying about your house getting torn up. You don’t even need to pet them. Of course, you may [...]
Most Expensive License Plate
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Collectibles, Vehicles, World on July 11th, 2008Talal Khouri, a Dubai-based stockbroker, made history recently when he became the owner of the world’s most expensive license plate. He won the expensive license plate after placing the winning bid during an auction to benefit individuals with special needs. Oddly, the expensive license plate displayed the number five. You would think the most expensive [...]
Most Expensive Speeches
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: World on July 11th, 2008Donald Trump
(Photo by Boss Tweed.
Licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.)
Donald Trump may talk a good talk, but did you know he also talks the most expensive talk? The real estate mogul, television personality and world’s 314th richest person gave seventeen speeches at The Learning Annex’s real estate wealth expos in 2006 and 2007. These [...]
Most Expensive Two-Way Speakers
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury on July 11th, 2008One- and two-way speakers, speakers with only woofers or woofers and tweeters, don’t get a lot of love from the high-end audio industry. Once you’re spending big bucks on loudspeakers, it seems like you might as well go with three- or even four-way speakers. That hasn’t stopped Bowers & Wilkins from releasing their Signature Diamond [...]
Most Expensive Toy Car
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Collectibles, Luxury, Vehicles on July 8th, 2008Audi’s Auto Union Type C pedal car just took a back seat as Hot Wheels unveiled the world’s most expensive toy car. What makes this car more expensive than any other toy car? Well, it could be all the diamonds.
To commemorate their 40th anniversary, as well as their 4 billionth car, Hot Wheels commissioned jeweler [...]
Most Expensive Yacht Ever Built
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Vehicles, World on July 8th, 2008The Jacht was originally a lightweight Dutch naval vessel used to pursue pirates in shallow waters. When King Charles II chose to sail in one on his return to England in what would later be known as the English Restoration, the Jacht became a symbol of important and, eventually, wealth and luxury. Today, that tradition [...]
Most Expensive Grill
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury on July 8th, 2008We may be close to the end of this year’s grilling season, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drool over this feature-packed grill. It may be billed as an “outdoor cooking suite” but I think you’ll agree with me that you can easily call it the world’s most expensive grill.
The Talos Outdoor Cooking Suite is [...]
Most Expensive Luxury Home Entertainment Center
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury on July 8th, 2008Would you settle for an enormous widescreen television and 7.1 surround sound system? What if you’re a sound engineer, producer and multimillionaire? Thus is the case with Jeremy Kipnis and the world’s most expensive home entertainment center.
(via OhGizmo!)
The audio portion of the system includes thirty-seven Snell and MuRata speakers attached to thirty-five Mark Levinson, McIntosh [...]
Most Expensive Women’s Shoes
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Fashion, Luxury on July 8th, 2008We may be calling this article “Most Expensive Women’s Shoes” to complement our previous article on men’s shoes, but make no mistake—these four pairs of high-heeled slippers, three of them by Stuart Weitzman, are also the most expensive shoes in the world.
Stuart Weitzman’s Ruby Slippers
$1.2 million
Based on their namesake footwear from The Wizard of Oz, [...]
Most Expensive Bikini
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Fashion, Luxury on July 8th, 2008Molly Sims didn’t leave much to the imagination when she wore this diamond-studded swimwear for Sports Illustrated’s infamous Swimsuit Edition in 2006. Of course, what the bikini doesn’t actually cover is obscured by misdirection as the swimsuit, the most expensive bikini in the world, is as eye-catching as the woman modeling it.
Designed by Susan Rosen [...]
Most Expensive Fireworks Display
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, World on July 4th, 2008It’s Independence Day as I write this and that means one thing is on the minds of most Americans—fireworks. Firecrackers, mortars, sparklers, roman candles—we’re lucky every year we manage not to lose a finger or two. Unfortunately for proud Americans, the most expensive fireworks display was not shown on the Fourth of July.
In 2007, Dubai [...]
Most Expensive Newspaper
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Collectibles, World on June 30th, 2008You probably know that the advent of the web has caused a steady decline in newspaper circulation. Eventually, printed broadsheets may become a thing of the past entirely, relegated to museums and rare book libraries. In that case, certain newspaper copies may command exceedingly high prices for their historical value.
For now, though, it’s the stamps [...]
Most Expensive Diamond Necklaces
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Fashion, Luxury, Travel on June 30th, 2008An expensive diamond necklace is more than a simple accessory. It’s a statement of opulence that will set members of your family apart for generations. Check out some of the world’s most expensive diamond necklaces.
H. Stern’s Venus Necklace - $3.17 million
This 110-carat diamond necklace features a number of cushion, square and pear-cut diamonds set in [...]
Most Expensive Cruise Ship
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Travel, Vehicles, World on June 25th, 2008In 2006, Royal Caribbean International embarked on an ambitious project called Project Genesis. Their mission was to build the world’s largest cruise ship. Scheduled to sail in fall of 2009, Project Genesis isn’t just the largest ship. It’s also the most expensive cruise ship in the world.
(via True Cruise)
Project Genesis isn’t Royal Caribbean International’s first [...]
Most Expensive Champagne Glasses
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Food, Luxury on June 23rd, 2008(via Baller House)
Fine champagne needs an equally fine glass. It follows, then, that drinking the most expensive champagne requires the most expensive champagne glass.
Enter John Calleija, designer of a pair of champagne glasses sure to put any others to shame. Adorned with 1,700 diamonds—both white and a rare argyle pink—these glasses were hand carved from [...]
Most Expensive Money Clip
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Fashion, Luxury, World on June 19th, 2008What could say “I’m rich” better than paying for your morning coffee with a bill pulled from the world’s most expensive money clip?
The Hou Yi money clip, handmade by Chinese craftsman Li Bosheng, is made of 14 karat gold and high-grade sterling silver. The part that really makes this a special money clip, though, is [...]
Top 4 Most Expensive Burgers
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury, World on June 18th, 2008Just because the hamburger is undoubtedly a signature fast food item, doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself and empty your pockets by tasting one of the world’s most expensive burgers. For those with money to blow, there are some very pricey—and hopefully very tasty—burgers available, and you’ll never guess who has recently come [...]
Top 10 Luxury iPhone Cases
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Fashion, Luxury on June 11th, 2008Why not spend some money to protect your precious iPhone? These luxury iPhone cases are made from carbon fiber, Napa leather, mahogany, ostrich skin, alligator skin and even gold adorned with diamonds with prices range from $35 to $20,000 USD.
10. Griffin iPhone Courier Utility Case
We all know bicyclists are rough and tough, but [...]
Most Expensive Swimming Pool
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Travel, World on June 10th, 2008Looking at the above image, you might think that this is another one of Dubai’s expensive projects. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the world’s most expensive swimming pool and it’s located at the San Alfonso Del Mar resort in Chile.
The twenty acre pool is as long as three football fields and holds [...]
Most Expensive Box of Chocolates
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury on June 10th, 2008We’ve all heard the saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” If you’re fabulously wealthy, though, then maybe your life is more like a steamer trunk full of chocolates. In any case, MarieBelle New York’s Chocolate Picnic Steamer Trunk may just be the most expensive box of chocolates in the world.
MarieBelle has a reputation [...]
Most Expensive Watermelon
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, World on June 7th, 2008
(via Los Angeles Times)
In a country where watermelons are rare game, they can be a costly commodity. That’s how a 17-pound Japanese watermelon may have recently become the most expensive watermelon in the world.
Densuke watermelons, a type of black watermelon grown only on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, are usually given as gifts due to their extraordinary rarity. There were only sixty-five of the fruits among the first harvest this season. They are harder and crisper than the watermelons we Americans are used to and, according to Tohma Agricultural Cooperative’s spokesman, they “have a different level of sweetness.”
The largest of the sixty-five Densuke, a twenty-four pound melon, sold for $5,945. It was a seventeen pound melon, however, that was judged the best of the crop and sold at auction for $6,100. As the most expensive watermelon ever sold in Japan, it is likely also the world’s most expensive watermelon.
Most Expensive Persian Rug
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Luxury, World on June 6th, 2008
The world’s most expensive rug may be silk, Persian and four or five hundred years old, but does it really tie the room together? One anonymous buyer seems to think so.
Sold by Christie’s for $4.45 million, the 16th or 17th century Persian rug measures 7’ 5” by 5’ 7”. It was previously owned by Doris Duke, a tobacco heiress who purchased it in 1990 and left it to the Newport Restoration Foundation when she died. Its record selling price amounts to over $700 per square inch.
Prior to this, the most expensive rug was a Chelaberd Kazak rug sold at Freeman’s in Readubg, PA for only $341,625.
Just make sure to wipe your feet before walking on my most expensive rug, m’kay?
Most Expensive Bathtubs
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Electronics, Luxury, World on June 6th, 2008Nothing says luxury like lazing the hours away in a tub that costs more than a lot of houses. Those looking for such a tub, however, have a few more options than they used to. On the one hand, there’s the elegant, decorative tub that with its simple beauty. On the other hand, there’s the tub with features, gadgets and gizmos.
But which one is the most expensive tub in the world?
The Red Diamond bathtub (via bornrich.org)
The finest example of the latter is the Red Diamond bathtub from Water Games Technologies. Designed by Aldo Puglielli, the bright red tub is big enough for two people. That’s just the beginning of the tubs laundry list of features, however. It also includes a console framed in 18-karat gold—42 grams of 18-karat gold, to be exact—and Swarovski crystals. The console controls two waterproof HDTVs that remain hidden when not in use. Among the tub’s other features are a massage function, multicolored lighting, a hand-held shower unit, automatic disinfection and even a Swarovski-coated Champagne holder. At $47,200, however, the Red Diamond bathtub is not for the faint of wallet.
The Archeo Copper Bathtub
On the other end of the spectrum is Kallista’s Archeo Copper Bathtub. Made of solid copper, the tub is hand-crafted by the very people who refurbished Lady Liberty’s torch. Over five feet long and two-and-a-half feet wide, the tub is spacious enough to comfortably accommodate just about anyone. The fluted faucet and hand-held shower unit are designed with the same aesthetic quality as the rest of the tub, featuring a finely engraved starfish-on-seashell knob. The extravagantly made tub easily takes its place as the world’s most expensive bathtub with its $67,557 price tag—nearly $20,000 more than the Red Diamond!
Most Expensive Japanese Art
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, World on June 4th, 2008An anonymous party represented by Mitsukoshi Ltd., a company that operates department stores, recently made history by making this statue the most expensive piece of Japanese or Buddhist art ever auctioned.
The twenty-six inch, gold-painted statue, thought to be sculpted by Kamakura-period (1185–1333) artist Unkei, depicts a seated Dainichi Nyorai sun goddess. While it was expected to sell for less than $3 million at the Christie’s auction where it was sold, the sculpture went for a stunning $14.38 million. The buyer may have been one of many concerned that this unique cultural artifact would be kept outside of Japan following the auction. Considering the fact that the auction house was headquartered in Britain while the auction itself took place in New York, these concerns don’t seem unreasonable.
Unkei’s work was often done as a commission for high-ranking samurai and other important Japanese personalities in the period. His work on the Niō, a pair of twenty-six foot guardian statues flanking the Great South Gate of Tōdai-ji in Nara, displays a level of realism unseen in the West until much later.
Most Expensive Fishing Lure
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Travel on June 4th, 2008If you’re like me, you’ve often wondered how to catch the world’s greediest fish.
Okay, so I’ve never actually wondered that. Even so, MacDaddy’s—a company claiming to “put the bling on your string”—has answered that question by creating the world’s most expensive fishing lure.
The imaginatively named Million-Dollar Lure has been capturing the hearts and minds of [...]
Most Expensive Airports Ever Built
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Travel, Vehicles, World on June 4th, 2008Calling them airports is an understatement. With over fifteen miles of aviation-related commercial properties surrounding some of the largest airfields, these massive urban sprawls are more properly known as aerotropolises. For simplicity’s sake, though, we’ll just call them the world’s most expensive airports.
Currently, the most expensive airport is Hong Kong International Airport, located on Chek [...]
Most Expensive Celebrity Baby Photos
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: World on June 2nd, 2008Increased competition between tabloids, blogs and entertainment shows has become a gold mine for celebrity couples. The struggle to one-up the opposition has led to some phenomenal prices being paid for exclusive photos—the most prized pics being those of celebrity parents cradling their newborn children. These photos have become such a cash cow that some [...]
Most Expensive Sweaters
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Collectibles, Fashion on June 2nd, 2008How would you like to gain a piece of television and fashion history while helping out children with learning difficulties? Bid on one of the most expensive sweaters and you may be able to do just that.
Erinn Cosby, one of Bill Cosby’s four daughters, is auctioning off three of her famous father’s notorious sweaters “just [...]
Most Expensive Salons
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Fashion, Luxury, United States on May 31st, 2008We’ve already told you about the world’s most expensive haircut, a one-off service provided by stylist Stuart Phillips to retired millionaire Beverley Lateo, but Mr. Pillips’ usual fee of £150 (around $300) is far short of that commanded by some. The wealthy, after all, are willing to pay a handsome fee for a stylist who [...]
Most Expensive Sake
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury, World on May 31st, 2008(via True Sake)
Sake, a word used to refer to any alcoholic beverage in Japan, has come to mean a specific drink in America. While we often call that drink a “rice wine,” the rice fermentation process is closer to the making of beer than wine. Despite that fact, the resulting brew is non-carbonated and tastes [...]
Most Expensive Candy Bar
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Collectibles, Food on May 28th, 2008Fans of the immensely successful television drama, Lost, may be the only people who’ve heard of the world’s most expensive candy bar. Aside from making numerous appearances in the show, the candy bar also played a significant part in the show’s accompanying alternate reality game, The Lost Experience.
An alternate reality game, or ARG, is a [...]
Most Expensive Table
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Luxury, World on May 27th, 2008Rococo is a style of art and interior design developed by the French in the 18th century. Rococo-style rooms favored form over function, featuring ornate furniture, elegant tapestries, ornamental mirrors and other lavish trappings. Sold at a Christie’s auction in Philadelphia, the most expensive table in the world is just one example of rococo furniture.
The [...]
Most Expensive Dress Shirt
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Fashion, Luxury, World on May 27th, 2008They say the clothes make the man. That’s probably less true today than when you could tell a man’s occupation by the hat he wore, but if it’s true of anything then it’s true of the world’s most expensive shirt.
Swedish shirt-making company Eton, celebrating their 80th birthday, created this shirt out of the finest Egyptian [...]
Most Expensive Guitar Picks
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Collectibles, Music on May 20th, 2008If you’re looking for a guitar pick, there’s no shortage of different shapes, styles and materials available for you to choose from. Customized picks have been prevalent since the days when Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick would throw hundreds of them out into the audience. In fact, most famous guitarists have their own custom guitar [...]
Most Expensive Bass Guitar
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Luxury, Music, World on May 20th, 2008A financially endowed bass player might look at any one of Jens Ritter’s bass guitars, which start at $6,000, and be content. After all, the German luthier’s expensive basses are made with some of the same techniques used to make Stradivarius violins. One customer, however, wasn’t satisfied with one of Ritter’s “normal” guitars and we’re [...]
Most Expensive Cheesesteak
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, World on May 19th, 2008(via CBS3)
How much would you pay for a Philly cheesesteak? Stephen Starr, owner of Barclay Prime restaurant, hopes your answer is in the triple digits. The latest draw to this upscale restaurant for serious patrons is the aptly-named $100 Cheesesteak.
While Starr admits that the sandwich is a marketing ploy for the Philly-based restaurant, the most [...]
Most Expensive Skateboards
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Vehicles on May 13th, 2008BMW Street Carver
When BMW introduced their Street Carver in 2001, they proved that they could make skateboards with the same precision engineering as their automobiles. The Street Carver is heavier than most skateboards with its cast-aluminum truck assemblies, wood and fiberglass deck and 110mm wheels. The most notable features of the board, though, are the [...]
Most Expensive Blackberry Case
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Fashion, Luxury on May 9th, 2008If you were at CES 2008, you may have had the chance to win a Diamond Blackberry Curve Case. If you weren’t the lucky winner or if you weren’t even there, then you can still acquire one through Case-Mate’s website. Of course, if you go that route you’ll be paying top dollar for the world’s [...]
Most Expensive Flip-Flops
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Fashion, Luxury on May 8th, 2008Flip-flops, or thong sandals, were inspired by traditional Japanese sandals. They were introduced to the Western world via New Zealand in the late 1950s. While most flip-flops are of the cheap, plastic variety, dressier thong sandals are available. The most expensive flip-flops in the world, however, fit neither of those descriptions.
Crystalishious
An exclusive product of trendy [...]
Most Expensive Mint Julep
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury on May 5th, 2008The Kentucky Derby, also known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” has been held annually since it was first organized in 1875. This year’s derby drew one of the largest crowds in history, consisting of over 157,000 people. It also marked the 35th anniversary of legendary equine athlete Secretariat’s spectacular win at Kentucky [...]
Most Expensive High Chair
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, World on April 28th, 2008Henry IV was the name of an English king, a French king and even a Holy Roman Emperor in Germany. It’s also the name of the world’s most expensive high chair and, considering the chair’s German creators, was probably named after the latter king.
Sibi, the brand name used by interior architect Wolfgang Sirch of the [...]
Most Expensive Apartment
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Real Estate, World on April 25th, 2008London has long been one of the exclusive real estate capitals of the world. In fact, the world’s most expensive house was just recently sold there. Houses aren’t the only expensive properties in London, though. The city also boasts the world’s most expensive apartment—and construction on it hasn’t even been finished!
The four penthouse apartments atop [...]
Most Expensive Cruise Destination
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Travel, World on April 25th, 2008Freezing wind, icebergs, penguins and a dearth of hotel rooms—these are the things you’ll find in the most expensive cruise destination in the world. Antarctica may not be the most hospitable region in the world, but it’s popular enough to guarantee that cruises destined for the southernmost continent will have passengers aplenty.
The tourist season in [...]
Most Expensive Sheets
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, World on April 24th, 2008The average person spends roughly a third of their life sleeping. It only makes sense, then, that you should spend as much on your bed as you would on your car, right? If you agree with that, then you might want to check out Charlotte Thomas Bespoke—the most expensive bed sheets in the world.
Not only [...]
Most Expensive Yo-Yo
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury on April 24th, 2008The yo-yo has been around for at least 2,500 years. The earliest surviving yo-yo dates back to 500 BC and was made using ceramic disks. The yo-yo was probably used as a weapon for 400 years in the Philippines, though the chairman of the American Yo-Yo Association’s History and Collecting Committee denies it. The world’s [...]
Most Expensive Living Artist
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, World on April 15th, 2008
Jeff Koons’ “Hanging Heart”
The record for most expensive living artist seems to change hands like a $20 bill. Currently, the record is held by Jeff Koons for his “Hanging Heart” piece, which sold for $21.6 million. Before that, the record belonged to Damien Hirst. His “Lullaby Spring” pill box sold for $19.1 million at Sotheby’s in 2007. He took the record from friend Lucian Freud, grandson of the famous psychoanalyst, who held the record for a mere twenty-four hours when his “Bruce Bernard” painting sold for $16.5 million.
Freud may hold the title again, however, as his “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping” painting is expected to sell for over $30 million at auction in May. The piece, depicting a fleshy femme reclining on a sofa, was painted in 1995 and became the first nude ever to make the front page of the UK’s Financial Times newspaper.
Lucian Freud’s “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping”
The 51-year-old model, Sue Tilley, spent months posing for the artist. During this time she wasn’t allowed to vacation, lest she return with a tan. While she was paid a mere $40 to pose for the painting, she was able to sell one of Freud’s earlier etchings of herself for a cool $50,000. Of course, she’ll also enjoy a certain level of fame from being the subject of one of the world’s most expensive paintings.
Most Expensive Margarita
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury, United States on April 15th, 2008Tequila, triple sec and fresh lemon or lime juice—these are the components of a standard margarita. The proportions may vary and orange liqueurs other than triple sec may be used, but these are the three main ingredients endorsed by the International Bartenders Association. What, then, are the ingredients in the world’s most expensive margarita?
Johnny Utah’s, a Western-style restaurant located in New York’s Rockefeller Center, features both a mechanical bull capable of rendering you permanently paralyzed and a mixed drink, The Vault, that can do the same to your wallet. Johnny Utah’s uses a $300 bottle of Herradura Suprema tequila to mix The Vault, along with grilled-lime juice and agave syrup. Notably missing from the mix is any sort of orange liqueur, though the syrup may make up for that. The drink costs $51 and was touted as the most expensive margarita in 2007.
Regardless of whether or not you consider The Vault to be a true margarita, the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has flattened that record with the Riverside Grand Margarita. This exclusive drink uses freshly squeezed lime juice; Cuvée Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire, a special triple sec made to commemorate the Grand Marnier company’s 150th anniversary, and Patron Tequila Gran Platinum. Both the tequila and liqueur cost about $200 a bottle. The finished product costs $65, making it the most expensive margarita in the world.
Most Expensive Camel
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, World on April 10th, 2008Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, spent $16.5 million dirham ($4.5 million USD) at a recent beauty pageant in the United Arab Emirates’ capital city of Abu Dhabi. The remarkable part is that the acquisitions, like the contestants in the pageant, were camels.
The contest included over 10,000 camels from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain. It was organized by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage in order to celebrate unique aspects of the Gulf region’s culture.
The most expensive camel in Sheikh Hamdan’s lot, a 10 million dirham ($2.72 million USD) female, is also the most expensive camel in the world. While no details regarding the camel or Sheikh Hamdan’s plans for it have been released, it is known that female camels are faster than their male counterparts.
Money for the pageant was donated by Abu Dhabi’s ruling family. Altogether, owners of winning camels will receive a total of $9.5 million and 100 cars.
Most Expensive Hood Ornament
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Vehicles on April 7th, 2008Few cars invoke images of wealth as readily as Rolls-Royce. It’s fitting, then, that the world’s most expensive hood ornament should embellish such a car.
The Spirit of Ecstasy, known in the US as The Flying Lady, has a tangled history. Originally commissioned as a personal emblem for Lord John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu’s Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, the sculptor, Charles Sykes, chose Lord Montagu’s secret love, Eleanor Velasco Thornton, as a model for the mascot. He dubbed the resulting ornament “The Whisper.”
When Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, concerned that the fashionable personal emblems of the day were inappropriate for such a prestigious vehicle, set out to create their own mascot, they turned to Sykes to sculpt an emblem that embodied the grace and beauty of the Rolls-Royce. Once again he used Ms. Thornton as the model for his Spirit of Speed, which he later referred to as the Spirit of Ecstasy.
The rights to the Spirit of Ecstasy have changed hands over the years. At one point they were purchased, along with rights to the shape of the Rolls-Royce radiator grill and even some Bentley components, by Volkswagen. Having only wanted the Bentley rights in the first place, they eventually reached a deal with BMW, who owned the rights to build Rolls-Royce cars, which allowed the familiar hood ornament and grill to be reunited with the luxurious car.
This year, designer Jean Kemanjian created a special version of the Spirit of Ecstasy for Manhattan Motorcars to show off at the New York Auto Show. Made of platinum and other rare metals, the figurine is completely coated in 150 carats of high-quality (VVS1) diamonds. While it’s valued at $200,000, it’s not for sale. Even so, it can certainly be called the most expensive hood ornament in the world.
Most Expensive Car Wax
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, Vehicles on April 7th, 2008What kind of wax do you use on a Classic car? If you’re the sort of person who only uses the best of anything on your pampered vehicle, then the answer is clear. You’ll get the most expensive car wax in the world.
Enter Swizöl International, a Switzerland-based company that specializes in handmade car care products. [...]
Most Expensive Nut
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury, World on April 2nd, 2008Originally considered ornamental plants, the flowering Macadamia trees have become a valuable crop since they were originally described by John Macadam—after whom they were named—around 1857. The reason for their commercial importance is that two of the nine species of Macadamia produce the most expensive nuts in the world.
While the trees originated in Australia, the [...]
Most Expensive Cognac
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Food, Luxury, World on April 2nd, 2008Cognac, like Champagne, is named after the area of France from whence it originates. In order to be considered worthy of the name, the brandy must be produced in the area surrounding the town of Cognac and it must be made at least 90% from three varieties of grapes that grow in the region—Ugni Blanc, [...]
Most Expensive Blu-ray Player
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury on April 1st, 2008Hot on the heels of Toshiba’s concession to Sony in the high definition format war, luxury home theatre manufacturer Goldmund has released, in their words, the “first high-end Blu-ray player.” If nothing else, Goldmund’s Eidos 20 BD is certainly the most expensive Blu-ray player on the market.
The player has a number of features to justify [...]
Most Expensive Autograph
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Collectibles, Luxury on April 1st, 2008Getting the autograph of your favorite celebrity can be a thrilling experience for most. For serious philographers—autograph collectors—living celebrities’ John Hancocks are just the tip of the iceberg. For these collectors, the most valuable autographs are those of deceased historical figures. Still more valuable are those same signatures decorating handwritten documents and, especially, personal letters. [...]
Most Expensive Public Works Project
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Travel, United States on March 21st, 2008In 1991, ground was first broken for the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project. The project was meant to reroute the chronically congested Central Artery (I-93) in Boston, Massachusetts, through a 3.5 mile tunnel under the city for a projected cost of $2.8 billion. Over the course of the project’s duration, the project became colloquially known [...]
Most Expensive Compact Disc
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Music, World on March 20th, 2008Audiophiles may lament the fact that sometimes the source of their music doesn’t live up to the standards set by their tens of thousands of dollars in audio equipment. Vinyl records and compact discs both degrade rather easily, after all, and many audiophiles still contend that CDs just sound worse. Last year, a Japanese recording [...]
Most Expensive Haircut
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Fashion, Luxury, World on March 19th, 2008Stuart Phillips has been the official hairstylist for the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards every year since 2004. He’s been featured in a plethora of fashion magazines and has styled for a host of actors, actresses and other celebrities from Jean-Claude Van Damme to Ivana Trump. Recently, he gained entry into [...]
Most Expensive Spa
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Luxury, United States on March 19th, 2008The town of Spa, Belgium, was known in medieval times for its chalybeate spring used to treat iron deficiencies. Since then, we’ve applied the name to any sort of medicinal water treatment, whether the healthful properties come from the iron in chalybeate springs or the trace elements of sodium and magnesium, potassium and calcium sulphates [...]
Most Expensive Bluetooth Headset
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury, World on March 19th, 2008Have you ever wanted people to put reflectors on their Bluetooth headsets so that you could more easily tell the gadgeteers from the crazies? Amosu Luxury Ltd, a UK-based company specializing in luxury cell phones, has created a headset that seems designed to trick people into doing just that. The lure is that this is [...]
Most Expensive Magazine
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: World on March 18th, 2008How much would you be willing to fork over for a subscription to a magazine about quantitative finances? Forget the ten to twenty dollars you’d pay for a subscription to Maxim, Cosmo or Rolling Stone. Quantitative analysts who want to keep up to date in their chosen profession may need to pay up to nearly [...]
Most Expensive Car Audio System
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury, Music, Vehicles on March 18th, 2008Looking for a top of the line audio system to put in your spacious new SUV? Why not try the world’s most expensive car audio system? Up and coming luxury audio system creators Rogue Acoustics made a splash when they unveiled their premiere car audio system, the RA:1K.
While the RA:1K is highly customizable, the majority [...]
Most Expensive Belt Buckle
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Luxury, World on March 18th, 2008Swiss designer Roland Iten won’t touch a timepiece of any sort, but he still manages to create high precision, mechanical fashion accessories for men of discriminating taste. His solid gold, mechanical belt buckle is as much a work of art as it is a work of engineering. It takes nine to eighteen months to produce [...]
Most Expensive Movie Poster
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Collectibles, World on March 17th, 2008A movie poster collection may be anything from an extension of another hobby to a sign of serious passion for film history. One buyer may be willing to pay $10 or $20 for an original “Fellowship of the Ring” one-sheet while another pays $47,000 for one of the few remaining “Grand Hotel” posters. With the [...]
Most Expensive Magic: The Gathering Card
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Collectibles, World on March 17th, 2008Ever wonder what someone does with a mathematics degree other than teaching math? Richard Garfield, while studying combinatorial mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania, decided to apply his arithmetic skills to game design. He earned his PhD in 1993, the same year role-playing game publisher Wizards of the Coast first published a card game of [...]
Most Expensive Cow
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: World on March 17th, 2008The most expensive cow in Australia was just sold for $70,000. The cow, a Charolais named Maxine, was sold from the Palgrove Charolais Stud near Warwick to another ranch in Queensland. This, of course, prompted us to wonder what the most expensive cow in the world is.
A farmer at Kelber Hill Farm in Gargrave, England, [...]
Most Expensive Fabergé Egg
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Luxury, World on March 16th, 2008Fabergé eggs are extravagantly decorated, jeweled eggs created by master jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé and his assistants. The Russian jeweler made at least seventy-five eggs between 1885 and 1917, fifty-two of which are “Imperial Easter eggs” presented to Russian Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their respective wives. Each of the [...]
Most Expensive Monopoly Set
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Collectibles, Luxury, World on March 16th, 2008Parker Brothers’ famous game of economics, Monopoly, has been called “the most played board game in the world.” It’s certainly a believable title when you consider that, according to Hasbro, the game has been played by over 750 million people since Parker Brothers originally published it in 1935.
Monopoly is actually based on a game patented [...]
Most Expensive MacBook
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury on March 16th, 2008Apple’s MacBook laptop computers may have gotten off to a rocky start in 2006, but that doesn’t mean things can’t get rockier still. Of course, we’re not talking about random shutdowns anymore. No, this time the rocks are diamonds and Swarovski crystals.
Late last year, PowerMax introduced us to the gold-plated MacBook Pro. The 24k gold [...]
Most Expensive iPhone
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Electronics, Luxury, World on March 16th, 2008iPhone Apple 3G “Kings Button”
Austrian luxury designer and jeweler Peter Aloisson, creator of one of the world’s most expensive cell phones, has quite literally outdone himself. Last year, he created the world’s most expensive iPhone—the iPhone Princess Plus. This year, he’s created… the world’s most expensive iPhone.
The “Kings Button” [sic] iPhone is, like its predecessor, [...]
Most Expensive Earrings
Written by: jeremy Filed Under: Art, Luxury on March 16th, 2008One of the world’s oldest forms of body modification, the practice of wearing earrings has almost certainly been around longer than recorded history. The world’s most expensive earrings, on the other hand, were created much more recently.
Harry Winston’s Extraordinary Diamond Drop Earrings weren’t made by Harry Winston—he died nearly thirty years before they were made—but [...]
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