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WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BIG MAC

2011-02-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

So what can one expect to pay for these simple ingredients? In the United States a Big Mac will cost approximately $3.00 - $4.50, depending on which state you’re in but this is still mere pennies compared to what you will pay in other parts of the world.

You’ll find the most expensive Big Macs when you’re in Denmark, Switzerland, Norway or Iceland.

Iceland is home to the very most expensive, with a Big Mac costing 469 kronur, about $7.61 USD.

In Norway it costs 40 Norwegian kroner, about $6.88 USD.

In Switzerland it's about 6.30 Swiss francs, about $5.20 USD.

Denmark’s sandwiches then seem like a bargain at 27.75 Danish kroner, about $5.08 USD.

The Big Mac

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BLU-RAY PLAYER

2011-02-10T05:57:00.000-08:00

The player is packed with features including an ‘AC-Curator’ which is a power supply circuit that is said to improve visual and audio stability. The Eidos is also carefully constructed so that vibrations are completely eliminated and video errors are eradicated.

Aesthetically this model is quite the winner as well, and even looks a little retro with its VHS-VCR look. These features are just a few on this Eidos Blu-Ray that cashes in for a mere $16,900.

Eidos

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BRIDGE

2011-02-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

The Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 seriously compromised the safety of one section of the bridge, especially if another earthquake should hit the city. Because different strategies had continuously been discussed about whether to repair or replace that section of the bridge, and where the funding should come from, construction was slow to begin. A decision was made to completely replace the entire section of bridge that had been damaged and that the funding would come from the people who travelled across it. The toll on the bridge has now been raised from three dollars to four dollars. With 280,000 vehicles crossing the bridge every day, this is a major source of funding.

January 2002 saw construction begin on the section of the bridge and it should be completed by 2012. The cost of replacing this section of bridge is approximately 6.3 billion dollars.

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CRUISE DESTINATION

2011-02-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

The truth is that Antarctica is a very beautiful place to visit and if you go at the right times, you could see truly once in a lifetime sights. Antarctica even has a tourist season which is between November and February when the temperatures are high enough for travel and the sun also stays out much longer, as much as twenty hours per day. Travelling to Antarctica during November and December gives way for many available penguin hatching sights and travelling in February will provide you with many whale sightings than you would see at any other time of the year.

The cruises generally leave from South America and once you reach Antarctica, you can catch glimpses as you sail by. The cruises do not allow for anyone to get off the ship. All of this for the low, low price of $26,000!

An Antarctica Cruise

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE COW

2011-02-10T05:51:00.000-08:00

The most expensive cow came from the United States and she had a price tag of a whopping $1 million. Her name is Apple and she costs such a princely sum not only because of her fabulous genes, but also for a color that you don’t see on cows often – red. Apple was sold at an auction in Litchfield, Connecticut where a small group of farmers got together to collect the funds in order to be partial owner of this rare beauty. She has extremely good genes that have potential for many more great litters that could bring the owners a fortune. The day before Apple was sold, 5 of her calves were sold at the same auction. Each was 5-months old and each was sold for $160,000.

One reason why Apple’s color is so enviable is because it’s extremely rare. But another reason is because Apple can breed either black and white cows, or red and white cows due to Apple’s color. Apple has now gone to her new home in Wisconsin to continue to be a working cow. Her main responsibilities are to produce milk and embryos.

Apple

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CORVETTE

2011-02-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

A Corvette with a brand-new LS9 engine; supercharged 6.2 liter V8 that puts out 620 horsepower and 6500 RPMs. The Corvette ZR1 will impress even those with no knowledge of how cars work with top speeds that soar over the 200mph mark and its ability to go from 0-60mph in 3.0 seconds. That surpasses even its predecessor, the Corvette Z06! Many of the body parts are also constructed from carbon fiber and it has an adjustable suspension.

The car was first announced at the 12 Hours of Sebring race in 2005 and hopefully, 2009 will be the year that it reaches the market and the public’s hands. However, it does come with the sticker price of $100,000 and the price doesn’t top out there. For those who are truly wealthy and passionate about their cars, there are also a number of premium interior options and chrome wheels available – all for an additional price, of course!

The Corvette ZR1

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CAT TREE HOUSES

2011-02-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

The Rondo Modern Cat Tree and Condo is also priced at $875 and is only for the trendiest of cats. This cat tree house may only stand at 2.5 feet high, but it’s easy for little kitty to jump into and snuggle up for a good midday catnap. The main cylinder is available in either wicker or eleven different colors of felt, leather, or faux leather. There are also five choices available for the cushion that sits inside, giving a total of 60 different variations available for this luxury cat tree house. The stand and the base are both made of stainless steel, giving it a polished and contemporary look.

There’s no doubt that when you want to give your little feline friend a little something special and elegant, that only one of these two tree houses will do!

World's Most Expensive Cat Tree Houses

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE COGNAC

2011-02-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

The most expensive cognac is Henri IV Dudognon Heritage and it is named after a French king. This king’s family has been making the cognac since 1776. The wine is placed in barrels where it will age for one hundred years. These barrels need to be air dried for five years before any cognac can be placed into them. The cognac that comes out of the barrels after one-hundred-and-five years is 41% alcohol, making it 82 proof.

The bottle in which the cognac is placed also contributes to it being the most expensive cognac in the world. The bottle is dipped in twenty-four karat gold and sterling platinum before being decorated with 6,500 brilliant cut diamonds. The total cost for this fine bottle of cognac? $2 million USD.

Henri IV Dudognon Heritage

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CHAMPAGNE

2011-02-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

If you won the lotto and feel the urge to celebrate we found a couple of bubblies to cut into your bankroll.

According to Forbes Krug Clos du Mesnil 1995 is the most expensive champagne that can be bought off the shelf.

A single bottle will set you back $750.00 USD, but you'd better hurry as only 12,624 bottles were ever produced.

Not expensive enough for you?

On September 27 2005 A Methuselah of Louis Roederer Cristal 1990 sold for $14,730.00 in a London auction.

Louis Roederer Cristal 1990

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CAR KEY

2011-02-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

The key is fashioned in the shape of a watch and that’s quite appropriate as there’s also a stopwatch included within the key. This key, known as the AMVOX2, features vertical trigger chronograph technology, which is still considered to be advanced technology but was virtually unheard of when it was used for this key. The watch’s surface was not only made from crystal sapphire but the watch actually works as a stopwatch, with the ability to stop, start, and reset all by gently pressing the crystal.

Also along this surface are “open” and “close” features, which will lock or unlock either an Aston Martin DBS or an Aston Martin Rapide. Pressing both of these buttons at the same time will make the car’s headlights briefly appear and flash, making the car noticeable to the owner who’s looking for it in a crowded parking lot.

When you’re already paying the pricey amount of the car, why not go the extra mile and get yourself the world’s most expensive car key?

The World's Most Expensive Car Key

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CAR ACCIDENT

2011-02-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

On March 04, 2007 a UK man took his brothers Bugatti Veyron out for a spin, literally.

On a rainy stretch on Renfree Way in Shepperton, Surrey the driver spun out at 100 mph, colliding with a van and then spinning into the trees, but luckily no one was seriously injured although we don't know what happened to the driver after his brother got a hold of him.

The car ended up a write-off and the insurance bill will be topping £800,000 which does not include the damage to the van.

The Wrecked Bugatti Veyron

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CANDY BAR

2011-02-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

However, the candy bar actually had a larger impact on the alternate reality game show The Lost Experience, where contestants’ actions determined the outcome of the game. During promotion for the game show, the producers handed out many of the Apollo candy bar and also invited many people to be photographed with the candy bar, so that their pictures could be seen online. Once enough pictures were collected, the producers also distributed a video that would conclude the game. It’s from the candy bars that were handed out as marketing efforts that comes the most expensive candy bar.

This particular Apollo candy bar was sold on eBay just before the release of the conclusion video. It sold for $130 USD, making it the most expensive candy bar ever sold. Apollo bars are still for sale on eBay but they usually only cost about $10 USD.

The World's Most Expensive Candy Bar

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CANDLE

2011-02-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Ultimate Luxury Candle was designed by Luxury Soy Candles and it sells for just under $5,000. If you think that’s a lot of money to spend on a candle, consider that it comes wrapped in more than just its beautiful black box with white bow. Around the piece of glass that surrounds the actual candle is a beautiful bracelet that’s bejeweled with 38 diamonds for a total of 2.23 carats, and they’re all set in 14K white gold.

Now that’s a candle that really might be too precious to burn!

The Ultimate Luxury Candle

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BIBLE

2011-02-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

The Saint John’s Bible as it’s known, is huge in everything from how it was produced to its actual size. It stands two feet tall and is three feet tall and is over one thousand pages in length. The book is bound in seven different volumes. The calligraphy was written on vellum and the quills that were used as writing instruments were dipped in inks and pigments that were all handmade. The Saint John’s Bible has also been coated in gold and silver leaf.

Many important decisions had to be made with the creation of this Bible but the hardest was deciding what version of the Bible would be used. It was finally decided that because the New Revised Standard Version was the version most accepted by Christian churches and so this was the version used.

With a sale price of $130,000, this is truly the most expensive Bible in the world.

World's Most Expensive Bible

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BIRTHDAY PARTY

2011-02-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

The world’s most expensive birthday party was held by the Sultan of Brunei on July 13 1996 to celebrate his 50th birthday.

The highlight of the party was concerts featuring Michael Jackson who was paid $16 million to perform.

Throw in some caviar, champagne and other munchies and the bill for the world’s most expensive birthday came to $27.2 million USD.

The Sultan Of Brunei

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BASS GUITAR

2011-02-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

The most expensive bass guitar comes from a designer of top-of-the-line guitars, Jens Ritter, and it is neither one that you will be able to find in your local music shop nor is it even completed yet! The most expensive bass guitar in the world is being created by Jens Ritter for a private customer who specially asked for the guitar to be custom-made for them. The guitar may not be entirely completed just yet but it does already have a name – The Ritter Royal Flora Aurum.

The body of the guitar is one solid piece of rare maple that has been carved out to make the guitar’s shape and a 10,000-year-old piece of ivory was used to carve out the nut. A pretty design travels up the fingerboard of the guitar and this definitely helps add to the value as 24-karat gold is used to make up the entire pattern. And within each leaf in the pattern is a black diamond that has been cast into platinum. The bridge, knobs and tuner are all of course, cast in gold and the knobs also feature brilliant-cut diamonds on their tops for a total of an additional 3.3 karats.

But because the guitar is being made for and purchased by a private owner, even if you had the $100,000 that is said to be the guitar’s value, you still wouldn’t be able to buy it!

The Ritter Royal Flora Aurum

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE AUTOGRAPH

2011-02-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

There are only six known authenticated copies of his autograph, one on a conveyance for a house in London, one on a deposition in a legal case, one on his mortgage papers, and three in his will, all are held in institutions.

Should one of William Shakespeare's autographs ever come up for auction it would fetch an estimated $5,000,000.00 USD.

William Shakespeare's Autograph

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE MR. POTATO HEAD

2011-02-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

The Mr. Potato Head has definitely evolved over the many years since it first hit the shelves as toys that could be stuffed into a real potato to make it look strange and funny. It then metamorphosed into a plastic toy potato and before you knew it, there was just about any kind of Mr. Potato Head that you could imagine lining the shelves! But there are a select few Mr. Potato Heads that will never end up on the shelves with all the others – these are the most expensive Mr. Potato Heads in the world.

The plastic frames of the Mr. Potato Heads are the same as the typical ones that you can find anywhere but designer Jay Strongwater has placed by his own hand over 50,000 Swarovski crystals. These crystals are truly brilliant and will sparkle as they show off all of their seventeen different colors! Once Strongwater was finished completely covering the Mr. Potato Head with crystals, he signed each Mr. Potato Head. In 2004, they were sold in the Neiman Marcus catalogue and cost a pricey $8,000 each!

World's Most Expensive Mr. Potato Head

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE MARMALADE

2011-02-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

This unique and delectable Seville Orange Marmalade is created with whisky, champagne and cold mixed with the Seville orange. The exact ingredients include vintage Dalmore 62 whisky from Whyte & Mackay, with a splash of Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1996 vintage champagne and garnished with flakes of 24-carat gold leaf.

The marmalade jar alone is valued at £1,100.

This is the type of jar and jam that you do not want the children to use for their peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

F Duerr & Son Marmalade

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE PIE

2011-02-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

The world's most expensive pie was created by Spencer Burge, the head chef at the Fence Gate Inn, and will set you back a sweet £8,195.00 or, according to our pie chart, £1024.38 per slice.

In case you want to bake your own, here are the ingredients:

2.5 Kilo Wagyu Fillet of Beef
1.5 Kilo matsutake mushrooms
2 bottles 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild
250 grams French Bleus mushrooms
100 grams winter black truffle
Four packets Gold Leaf
Shallots, flour, egg, fresh herbs
2 Bottles Louis Roederer Cristal Rose pink champagne

World's Most Expensive Pie

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE PIZZA

2011-02-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

Back in November 2006 Maurizio Morelli, an Italian lawyer, won an auction on eBay for a pizza and on February 14, 2007, as a Valentine's present for his wife the pizza was delivered.

The pizza, dubbed Pizza Royale 007, contained venison medallions, Scottish smoked salmon, edible gold, champagne-soaked caviar and lobster marinated in the finest Cognac.

Chef Domenico Crolla from Glasgow flew over 1,000 miles to Rome to prepare the 12 " world's most expensive pizza.

The winning bid; £2,150 or about $4200.00 USD.

If you're thinking 'that's one long pizza delivery, it doesn't even come close to the world's longest pizza delivery.

The World's Most Expensive Pizza

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE PERSIAN RUG

2011-02-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Because of the luxurious material to make them, along with the intricate, detailed work that goes into making them, Persian rugs are some of the most expensive floor coverings that you could use in your home but there is one in particular that gained a lot of attention at the Christie’s auction in June 2008.

This Persian rug measures 7’5” x 5’7” and it originates from the 16th or 17th century and was previously owned by Doris Duke, who was a tobacco heiress. She had purchased it in 1990 and when she died she left it to the Newport Restoration Foundation, who then turned it over to Christie’s Auction House to sell on their behalf. It was estimated that the rug would garner approximately $1.5 million at the auction and so, imagine the surprise when it sold for a record-breaking $4.45 million. That works out to about $729.87 per square inch!

So what makes the world’s most expensive Persian rug just so valuable anyway? It’s considered to be a work of art and there are only 2 other known rugs that are like it. Also, it has 17 different colors within it, which is almost unheard of in a Persian rug!

The World's Most Expensive Persian Rug

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE SPICE

2011-02-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Saffron (crocus sativus) comes from the dried stigmas of the purple saffron crocus and it takes up to 250,000 hand-picked flowers to make just one pound.

Saffron dates back to ancient Egypt and Rome where it served in perfume, dyes and food.

One pound of Saffron runs $400.00 - $800.00 USD, but in times past sold as high as $5,000.00/pound.

Saffron

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE SUNDAE

2011-02-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

As you may have guessed, it's no ordinary sundae, it's the Golden Opulence Sundae.

The Golden Opulence Sundae comes in a Baccarat crystal goblet, which you get to take home, a golden spoon, which you don't.

The sundae contains 5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf, covered in the world's most expensive chocolate and stuffed with candied fruits from Paris, gold leaf, truffles,Marzipan cherries and topped with a bowl of Grand Passion caviar.

Thinking of buying your sweetie one for Valentine's? The world's most expensive sundae comes with a sweet price tag of $1,000.00 USD.

The Golden Opulence Sundae

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE WINGTIPS

2011-02-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

Of course, only Louis Vutton wingtips could be considered the most expensive, but that’s only because they’re exceptionally stylish. They start with waxed alligator leather, which covers the entire upper of the shoe. Then Blake construction is used to individually hand-stitch every seam. This is to ensure that every pair of these expensive Louis Vutton wingtips is fit to be the most comfortable. But leather can’t only be found on the outside of these shoes. The inside of the shoe is also filled with soft, supple leather that will ensure that these wingtips truly feel like no other.

But of course, Louis Vutton would make sure that more than just the outside and inside are beautiful and comfortable – the soles are made of the finest quality too! Not only are the soles also hand-stitched, paying attention to every last detail, but they’re also hand-painted and constructed completely of leather. And, the soles are topped off with the signature “LV” embedded into it.

Sound fancy enough for you? If so, all you’ll have to do is fork over $10,000. This may be a bit steep, but consider that you’ll be wearing the most beautiful and most comfortable shoes, but they’ll be Louis Vutton too!

Manhattan Richelieu Wingtips

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE YO-YO

2011-02-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Yo-Yos were created in China about 2500 BC.

The world's most expensive Yo-Yo sold at an auction for $16,000.000 USD.

The world's most expensive production Yo-Yo is 'Cold Fusion' produced by Hasbro and retails for $150.00 - $250.00 USD. Cold Fusion is made of aircraft-grade aluminum, features a ball-bearing axle and a brake pads for quick response.

The longest spin time on a Yo-Yo was achieved with a 'Cold Fusion' Yo-Yo.

UPDATE: October 13, 2008

Duncan has released the Freehand Mg which is made of 99% magnesium. Both sides of the Freehand Mg are separately forged and then machined using a computer to control the lathe lathe resulting in a tolerance not exceeding1/100,000th of an inch.

Price: roughly $499.00 USD.

The Cold Fusion Yo-Yo

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE MEDICINE

2011-02-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

People pay billions of dollars in prescription medicine every year. But just what medicine qualifies as the most expensive of them all?

That medicine, according to Forbes, is Soliris. Soliris is made by Alexion Pharmaceuticals and is used to treat paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, otherwise known as PNH. PNH is a form of anemia, but it’s an extremely rare form. Instead of being inherited, as other forms of anemia are, PNH is acquired. What also differentiates PNH from other forms of anemia is the fact that instead of the body having a low production of red blood cells, as is the case with common forms of anemia, the body actually destroys red blood cells. This not only makes PNH much rarer, but also much more dangerous.

PNH is so rare that it’s estimated that only about 8,000 Americans suffer from it. Because of this, Alexion Pharmaceuticals doesn’t have many people competing with them in regards to the medication for it. And it’s because there are no competitors for it that Alexion can charge $409,500.

Soliris

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE MOBILE NUMBER

2011-02-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Announced by the Kuwaiti News Agency, the world’s most expensive mobile number was auctioned for charity in Qatar on May 22 2006.

The number sold for 10m Qatari riyals or £1.5m. The number, would you believe, was 666-6666.

The auction was organized by national telco Qtel that has held two previous auctions and is planning on another one in September. In the beginning, there were eight individuals bidding on this unique number but it finally dwindled down to last souls.

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE INAUGURATION

2011-02-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you're elected President of of the United States for a second term by the skin of your teeth?

Why, you hold the most expensive inauguration party ever.

And George W. Bush is no different, that's exactly what he did, spending a whopping bushel of cash, $40 million, to be more exact, on his three day inauguration celebration in January 2005.

George W. Bush

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE EASTER BUNNY

2011-02-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Easter will never be the same again. Everyone will desire to have their own Easter Bunny year round displayed on the mantel once they catch a glimpse of the Most Expensive Easter Bunny. Chocolate eggs and marshmallow bunnies will never be the same again.

This Easter Bunny was on the auction block at Harrod’s. It is made to resemble the Lindt chocolate bunnies that were always wrapped in gold foil that we found in our Easter baskets on Easter morning left by the mysterious Easter Bunny. This Easter Bunny however, is not made from 200 grams of chocolate but 24-karat gold. It is inlaid with rubies, citrine, topaz, and diamonds.

The value of this unique Easter Bunny is just over $35,000 or £20,000.

Lindt Chocolate Bunny

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE FOUNTAIN PEN

2011-02-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

Caran d’Ache. He designed this pen to show his respect and in the memory of Antoni Gaude a famous modernist architect that lived from 1852 until his death in 1926.

The La Modernista Diamonds fountain pen is made of rhodium coated solid silver components, with an 18-carat gold nib and is covered with 5072 full cut top Wesselton VS diamonds which total a whopping 20 carats. There are 96 half cut rubies arranged on the top of cap, which forms the monogram.

The pen was sold in Harrods, London through a Swiss company, for $265,000 USD.

La Modernista Diamonds Fountain Pen

The World's Most Expensive Flower

2011-02-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

In Guangdong, China the Shenzhen Nongke Group, involved in agricultural science research, grew an orchid in 2005.

It was quite an ugly orchid, but an anonymous buyer at an auction would probably disagree with us as he or she bid 1.68 million yuan for the ugly orchid.

SO just how much is 1.68 million yuan? It's roughly $202,000.00 USD and that's just how much the world's most expensive flower sold for.

The World's Most Expensive Flower

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE EXPLOSION SEQUENCE IN A MOVIE

2011-02-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

Making movies with explosions is known to be an expensive endeavor and with all the action-packed movies around you may wonder which one had the most expensive explosion sequence.

The answer is Pearl Harbor released in 2001. Remember at the end of the movie with the destruction of the six ships during the bombing scene. Well, there you have the scene and the movie. Each one of those ships measured 400 to 600 feet in length, it took 12 camera teams, the explosion took one entire month to rig, required 700 sticks of dynamite, 2,000 feet of primer cord and 4,000 gallons of gasoline. The price tag was a whopping $5.5 million.

Pearl Harbor

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE EAR BUDS

2011-02-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

Depending on the type of ear buds you choose when you listen to your music, they are most likely very stylish or deliver great sound quality. And if you wear ear buds for style, then the iDiamond Earphones are ones that will make your ears truly sparkle!

These diamonds were created by Thomas Heyerdahl, who was also the genius behind the very pricey iDiamond iPhones. These earphones are designed in the same fashion as standard iPhone ear buds but they are of course, built using 18 karat gold. Oh, and into this gold are 204 diamonds, another nice little addition that you won’t find on the standard buds. And what makes them even more valuable? Despite other ‘most expensive’ items which are only created as a prototype or as a one-time charity event, these ear buds were sold for actual consumer sale but with the catch that only 1,000 pairs would be made! And for authentication purposes, every pair is embedded with a number from 1-1,000 so people would know they were getting the real deal.

These ear buds were first sold in March 2008 but of course, only the highest-end and finest jewellery stores sold them. At that time, you could bob away to your favorite song for only $6,400. But now that there aren’t publicly available, a pair of the world’s most expensive ear buds will probably cost you even more than that!

iDiamond Earphones

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE 4 x 4

2011-02-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

This wonderful protection will not only protect your Combat T98 from scratches and dents at the shopping mall but will scare away any drive by shooter since it will protect the vehicle from 12.7 mm bullet.

This awesome vehicle is based on GM components, which include an 8.1-liter engine, Allison transmission, and HD suspension.

The bulletproof steel is reached by using hi-quality Germany steel that makes the body practically indestructible. It has the double body made on the base, which is the creation of "metal-ceramic sandwich with cellular filler" technology.

Even the glass on the Combat T98 protects against the blast of a shotgun. This may be one of the best vehicles around if you are concerned for your own protection of mine blasts, drive by shootings, or just an angry neighbor. The worst part is not too many can really afford to own and drive one of these 4x4’s. If this vehicle gets into the wrong hands, we had better come up with better ways to protect our money in the bank. Nothing could stop would be thieves if they had a Combat T98 as their get-a-way vehicle.

The Combat T98

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE GIFT CARD

2011-02-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

Seems Christmas shoppers are getting lazier and lazier each year and as a result gift card sales have been reaching record numbers.

There is now a gift card available for the super rich and super lazy, the world's most expensive gift card.

The Holiday DreamCard from Halcyon Jets is good for one-way trips or round-trip travel, and it may be used for a single flight or multiple trips for their on-demand private charter aircraft services.

The cost of the gift card; a measly $5,000,000.00 USD.

Halcyon Jets Holiday DreamCard

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE FOUNTAIN

2011-02-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

Dubai is certainly a place of elegance, boldness, and a land where things are expensive. So it’s not surprising that this is where the world’s most expensive fountain can be found. This fountain, which exudes sophistication and cost quite a chunk of change to make, is appropriately named Dubai Fountain.

Dubai Fountain lies in good company in the Downtown Burj Dubai development project, in which the Dubai Mall and humongous Burj Dubai skyscraper also sit. The fountain jets shoot up and down to the backdrop of classical music. Often, superlights and color projectors are also used to make for a truly unique and fantastic show! The fountain itself is over 900 feet long and the jets can spray up to 500 feet high, shooting as much as 22,000 gallons of water at any given time. Dubai Fountain was constructed by WET Design, the same company that designed another famous fountain in another bold and spectacular city, Fountains of Bellagio, in Las Vegas. You can walk by and see it yourself for free. But the Dubai Fountain cost a whopping $217 million to build.

The announcement that the costly structure was to be built was made in June 2008. It was also during that ceremony that the government announced the fountain was yet unnamed. The government would hold a contest where entrants could suggest a name for the chance of winning 100,000 dirham (which is about $27,226 USD.) 15 contestants entered with the name “Dubai Fountain” and apparently, it stuck. Those contest winners split the prize total.

Dubai Fountain

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE FRY

2011-02-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

The world’s most expensive fry is actuality is only a prop that was created from polyurethane by DDB for television and Internet advertisements. This “Lincoln Fry” used by MacDonald’s during an ad during the Super Bowl is now the most expensive fry known in the world.

GoldenPalace.com already used an unusual food product for advertising once before with the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Sandwich which they purchased at auction on eBay for $28,000 and now are the proud owner of the world’s most expensive fry in the world when they also bought it for $75,000. Both the fry and the grilled cheese sandwich will be touring the countryside, of course for advertising purposes.

Most Expensive Fry

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE GIN

2011-02-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Gin has never gotten the rise to fame that vodka has but for gin-drinkers, there’s none other than the fine taste of juniper berries! It’s from these berries that every gin is made but manufacturers have added to the flavors, changed the alcohol content, and otherwise changed the gin so that gin-lovers have a wide variety of flavor when it comes to their favorite drink. Revelation is one such gin that is bursting with distinct flavor. This gin, made by Bombay Spirits Co., jewelers Baccarat and Garrard, and designer Karim Rashid, is not only the most expensive gin in the world, it’s also one of the most rare!

Revelation is the finest blend of juniper berries, almond, lemon, liquorice, orris root, angelica, coriander, cassia, cubeb, and grains of paradise. And of course, for such a fine liqueur, only the finest bottle will do. That’s why Revelation comes wrapped in a handmade crystal bottle that’s topped with a crystal stopper with a beautiful gleaming sapphire sparkling in the center. So what does such a fine piece of drink cost? Each bottle sold for $200,000. And if you think that’s a lot of money for gin, consider that included in this price are also bragging rights for owning such a rare bottle of gin. There were only five bottles of Revelation made and after it made its debut at Garrard’s in London, it was sold at five different airports.

The World's Most Expensive Gin

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE FOOTBALL TABLE

2011-02-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

The most expensive football table to date is the Opus.

This unique football table is the perfect gift for any man that loves football, consisting of the most innovative technology, and hand designed beauty.

The patent pending doppelganger technology enables microcast 3D heads to be produced from photographs, brining life-like realism to the faces of the friends and family you wish to have on your team.

However, if you add this to your Christmas list, you had better hope you were a real good boy since Santa will have to fork over £25,000.00 or $48,905.00 USD.

The Opus Football Table

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE KIDNEY STONE

2011-02-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Goldenpalace.com, that boasts in it collect, among other things, the world's most expensive toast, hit rock bottom with a new addition to it's collection on Tuesday January 17 2006.

After a $15,000.00 offer was passed on, Goldenpalace.com agreed to pay $25,000.00 on January 17 2006 to stone cold William Shatner for his recently passed kidney stone.

The cold hard cash will go to Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for the needy and the kidney stone will cover about 1/2 a house.

Here are a couple comment Captain Kirk had about the world's most expensive kidney stone:

"It was so large you'd want to wear it on your finger."
"If you subjected it to extreme heat, it might turn out to be a diamond."

William Shatner

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE LIZARD

2011-02-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

The world’s most expensive lizard is a leucistic Nile monitor lizard that was offered by the reptile shop, the Reptile Haven, at the end of 2003. The Nile monitor lizard comes, appropriately, from Africa and leucism is a rare condition that is caused by a complete absence of pigmentation. Unlike albinism, which only affects melanin, leucism affects pigmentation in the entire skin. However, also unlike albinism, a person or animal affected with leucism will still keep the pigmentation in their eyes.

The rarity of this condition alone is enough to make the lizard pretty pricey. In fact, the price of the most expensive lizard is $1,000,000. Although, there’s no word yet on whether or not the Reptile Haven ever sold the most expensive lizard in the world.

Leucistic Nile Monitor

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE NOVEL

2011-02-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

You may be use to paying up to $30 for a good novel, but how would you like to purchase a novel for $500. This novel by Tom Corven is the world’s most expensive novel to say the least. Why is it so expensive, you ask?

Well, the reason is you are offered more than just a good read. With your purchase of the novel, you will have your name printed on one single page in every book printed. Each novel will be signed by the author and will sell worldwide. Not only will you have your name on a page of the book, but you will also receive a share in the profit of each and every book sold until you have received 10 times the amount you invested in the book in the beginning.

If you are now ready to rush right out and purchase one, the title is “The Dreamwords Trilogy”. Enjoy and hope you get rich.

The Dreamwords Trilogy

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE NUT

2011-02-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

Those who are avid bakers will know which nuts are best to use in the different breads and pastries that they make. Some folks prefer one type of nut over another because of its taste but there’s one nut that people tend to shy away from and that is the macadamia. This is not because it has an unpleasant taste. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The macadamia nut is one of the best tasting nuts in the world and that’s just one reason why it is the most expensive nut in the world.

Although the nut is native to Australia, Hawaii produces the most macadamia nuts. A contributor to the price of the nut is the fact that the kernel can be comprised of eighty percent oil. This oil, which is often used in place of mink oil, is especially useful in cosmetics and other skin care products. The macadamia tree also does not start producing viable nuts until it is seven to ten years old, giving harvesters one more reason to charge so much. And lastly, the macadamia grows within an extremely hard shell. The shell is so hard in fact, that it has been known to break nutcrackers that were designed for home use. Because of this, all macadamia nuts must be released from their shell before they are sold. All of these factors contribute to the $15 - $16 USD per pound that you can expect to pay for the Macadamia nut.

Macadamia Nuts

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE WATER

2011-02-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

The world’s most expensive water can be found 2,000 feet down off the coast of Hawaii.

The name of this expensive water that is bottled by Hawaii Deep Marine is Kona Nigari.

This water is a seawater mineral concentrate that you mix with your regular drinking water.

The Japanese are driving the cost up even more as they cannot get enough. At this time, only 2 ounces of Kona Nigari costs $33.50 USD.

If you are thinking about purchasing one gallon then you had better be ready to charge it to get soaked, the price of one gallon is only $2,144.00 USD.

Kona Nigari Water

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE RUBIK'S CUBE

2011-02-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

This record is no puzzle, the world's most expensive Rubik's cube is the Masterpiece Cube, produced by Diamond Cutters International in 1995.

The Masterpiece Cube is regular size, fully functional and boasts 22.5 karats of amethyst, 34 karats of rubies, and 34 karats of emeralds and the cube is made of 18 karat gold.

The estimated value is about $1,500,000.00 USD.

Now for some Rubik's cube fun facts:

The Rubik's cube was invented in the spring of 1974 by Erno Rubik.
There are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 (43 quintillion) combinations on the 3x3x3 Rubik's cube.
It took Erno Rubik one month to solve the cube for the first time.
The original colors of the Rubik's cube were white, orange, blue, red, yellow and green.
On January 16 2006 Leyan Lo, a 20-year-old California Institute of Technology student, claimed the new world record by solving the cube in a mere 11.13 seconds.

Rubik's Cube

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE POP STAR CLOTHING

2011-02-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

Do you wonder if your pop star favorite wears expensive clothing. Well, if you are a fan of Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls your favorite wore the most expensive pop star clothing ever.

The outfit that Geri Halliwell wore during the 1997 Brit awards performance was sold on September 16, 1998 at Sotheby’s in London, UK. The price this unique outfit sold for was £41,320.00 GBP or $66,112.00 USD.

Geri Halliwell Outfit

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE STOLEN PAINTING

2011-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

With a value estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the Mona Lisa is the world's most expensive painting ever stolen.

On August 21, 1911 ex Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia, who went by the name Leonardo Vincenzo, walked into an empty room, took the Mona Lisa off the wall, removed it from it's case in a stairwell and disappeared.

So impossible was the theft of the Mona Lisa that it was not discovered missing till the next day.

On December 11, 1913 the Mona Lisa was finally recovered after Leonardo Vincenzo tried to sell the painting to art dealer Alfredo Geri in Florence, Italy.

The Mona Lisa

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE STADIUM

2011-02-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

In London, England you can find Wembley Stadium, in fact you can find 2 Wembley Stadiums, one which opened in 1923 and the other in 2007.

The new Wembley Stadium is the world's most expensive stadium costing £798 million or $1.56 billion USD to build.

The stadium is home to the English national men's football team and can hold 90,000 rowdy spectators for any given match.

Wembley Stadium

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE

2011-02-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

Featherlite luxury coaches have built the most expensive luxury coach in history. This luxury RV has it all when it comes to comfort and luxury.

It took renowned interior designer Karen B. Horton, designer ASID, stone artist Patrick Paffour, sculptor Chip Manz, Seattle artist Roberto Scira, and Seattle artist Mark Ditzler to create this 2.5 million dollar luxury coach.

The name of this unique RV that is available now in 2006 was named Vantare Platinum Plus.

World's Most Expensive RV

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE SALT

2011-02-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

Today, salt operations on the island operate in much the same way that they did one thousand years ago. Perhaps the only difference is that this island has also become a huge tourist attraction due to the quality of salt that is produced there. The island sees approximately 60,000 visitors in a year.

The wonderful Laeso Salt costs 150 Danish kroner per kilogram. This is equal to approximately $29 USD. There are many other big plans going on for the island as well. Plans are in the works to reopen the dairy that sits on the land to begin manufacturing Laeso-salted, cheese, sausages, and hams. There is also a small church on the island that is going to be reopened to become a health spa. This health spa will provide people with skin disease to come bathe in the byproducts that come with producing this expensive salt.

Laeso Salt

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE PLAYBOY MAGAZINE

2011-02-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

Having stashes of Playboy magazine hidden in the closet or under the bed might be a running joke in some families. And it’s true that these magazines piled one on top of another might add up to a few bucks. Especially if in that pile there’s one of every copy the magazine has ever released – that totals over 600 issues! And with all of these issues, it might be surprising to learn that the most expensive Playboy only costs $6,300 if it’s in mint condition. What you get for that price is a rare collectible and a magazine that has a very playful Marilyn Monroe on the cover. It’s also the first issue that Playboy ever printed.

The first issue of Playboy that Hugh Hefner ever produced showed Marilyn Monroe on the cover wearing a very, very low cut top that was the center of much controversy during that time. The photo was taken during the 1952 Miss America Parade, and the picture that appeared inside the magazine was intended to be used for a calendar. Because this issue was the first issue of Playboy magazine, and Hugh wasn’t sure that there would be a second issue, this pricey issue of the magazine does not actually have an issue number on it. Another thing missing from the cover of the Marilyn Monroe Playboy magazine is the Playboy bunny, which has now become almost more famous than the magazine itself. The bunny made its first appearance in the second issue of the magazine.

There have been some fakes of the first issue of Playboy floating around, just like any other collectible item. And it was even reprinted in 2007, which makes it even more difficult to distinguish the worthy original. The reprint has a black rectangle in the upper right corner and uses three staples to bind it together. The original print does not have the black rectangle and it only uses two staples along its binding.

The First Issue of Playboy

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE PET MONKEY

2011-02-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

The average pet monkey costs approximately $1000 - $1500. And that doesn’t include the cost of bottles to feed them, diapers to keep your house clean, and tethers for it. And while this may seem like a steep fee for some, it’s nowhere close to the most expensive pet monkey.

Chimpanzees can be a very popular pet due to their intelligence, their ability to use tools, their memory skills, and their ability to laugh. And while chimpanzees may not be common in households, they’re very common among researchers and those who need animals to help them out with certain tasks. If you’re thinking of taking advantage of some of the more educated skills that a chimpanzee has, not to mention their social skills that will keep you companionship for many years, beware. Not only is it illegal to own a monkey as a pet in 21 different states, they also cost about $50,000. This makes them the most expensive pet monkey in the world.

A Chimpanzee

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE ROLEX WATCHES

2011-02-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

There have long since been rumors swirling around that a Rolex was sold at Selfridges in London for a whopping 8 million pounds, which translates into $15 million USD. But these rumors have never been verified as being true. So, we turn to the next, confirmed case of the most expensive Rolex in the world. This one stems from the UK as well and was sold at an event held by Sotheby’s in June 2003. This “Paul Newman” Rolex Oyster Cosmograph “Daytona” was just in fact a prototype when it was sold at auction. This particular watch has a red face with black sub-dials located at strategic positions. And although it wasn’t sold until 2003, the watch was actually created in 1979, which no doubt added to its value.

The “Paul Newman” Rolex Oyster Cosmograph “Daytona” may not have reached the massive price tag of 8 million pounds that the rumored most expensive Rolex did, but it did quite well for itself. It was sold for 210,000 pounds, which is about $350,000 USD.

The Paul Newman Cosmograph Daytona

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE SCOOTER

2011-02-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

Even though Vespas were first created right after the second world war, the Vespa SS90 Super Sprint wasn’t designed until 1965. The newer features included things such as a narrower front end, a glove compartment, and a spare wheel incorporated into the step-through frame. Unfortunately, the Vespa SS90 Super Sprint didn’t do nearly as well as its predecessor and it was taken off the market in 1971. And even though the Vespa SS90 Super Sprint didn’t do all that well while it was still available, it still brings in a pretty penny today solely due to the rarity of the piece. Today a Vespa SS90 Super Sprint will cost you $7,000 if you wish to own one. But, you do have to find one first!

The Vespa SS90 Super Sprint

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE SHOWER

2011-02-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

If you're feeling a little dirty and have an extra $120,000.00 to spend then the SilverTAG Shower maybe just the thing for you.

With 18 showerheads custom designed to cover 6 zones of your body and a computerized control panel that has 6 pre-programmed shower experiences the SilverTAG Shower not only relieves excess stress, but being the world's most expensive shower, it also relieves your wallet of excess money.

The SilverTAG Shower

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TENNIS RACKET

2011-02-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

The story starts in 2007 at the Diamond Games tournament in Antwerp, Belgium where Amelie Mauresmo defeated Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

This in itself was not so remarkable, but what was remarkable was the fact that Amelie Mauresmo had won the tournament three times in the last five years and this feat led to her possessing the world's most expensive tennis racket.

The golden racket weighs in at 8.8 pounds and is studded with 1,702 diamonds, giving it a record setting value of $1,300,000.00 USD.

World's Most Expensive Tennis Racket

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TOY SEWING MACHINE

2011-02-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

This unusual toy sewing machine adorned with a clown was auctioned at the ISMACS auction in London, England. The bidding went quickly to 6,000 pounds and then was down to two strong bidders, neither wanting to give up on the chance of having this toy sewing machine. The last two bidders were an English industrial sewing machine dealer and a German millionaire. Finally, when the Englishman bid a whopping $13,600, the German quietly did not bid.

The toy sewing machine was designed by Max Sandt and was created in Germany. As far as anyone knows there are only four clown toy sewing machines left in existence.

World's Most Expensive Toy Sewing Machine

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TOAST

2011-02-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

Justin Timberlake made an appearance on a New York radio station and was served French toast. He must not have been that hungry because he only ate half.

The remaining piece of half-eaten French toast found it's way to eBay where it brought in a buttery $3,100.00.

...But Justin Timberlake's toast doesn't even come close to bread that Goldenpalace.com shelled out for a piece of toast.

In 2004 a 10 year old piece of a toasted cheese sandwich depicting an image of the Virgin Mary went on the auction block and Goldenpalace.com gobbled it up, shelling out $28,000.00 for the world's most expensive toast.

Diane Duyser made the toast 10 years prior and noticed the image of the Virgin Mary on it so she stashed it away. Amazingly in the 10 years the toast never went moldy.

The Virgin Mary Toast

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TOASTER

2011-02-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

When most of us need a new toaster, we run down to Wal-Mart and purchase one for around $20, however, if you really want to impress someone you could have a Dualit Combi toaster sitting on your kitchen countertop. This unique toaster has a price tag of $379.95.

The Dualit Combi toaster is British made and it not your run of the mill toaster. It comes in an insulated stainless steel body that has an automatic turnoff. It can toast those Texas size pieces of bread, muffins and even sandwiches. It comes with a specially designed basket to hold the sandwiches in place.

Dualit Combi Toaster

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TWO-WAY SPEAKERS

2011-02-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

Those who like to collect rare and expensive things will be most pleased with these two-way speakers, which are the most expensive to ever be created. These will be especially attractive to those who like to own prized treasures as they are quite reasonably-priced at $25,000 due to the fact that in today’s audio industry, 3 and 4-way speakers are much more valuable than 2-way speakers.

But that’s not to say that the world’s most expensive 2-way speakers aren’t worth much. They actually deliver a much crisper and clearer sound than other 2-way speakers, although they still run on the woofers and tweeters design as others do. The 2-way speakers have been designed by Bowers & Wilkins, as part of their Signature Diamond series, and in part to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The quality sound comes from the Kevlar cones inside the system that is a part of all B&W designs as well as the dimpled Flowport that helps to eliminate wind noise. There is also a tweeter, which is separated from the rest of the system and cushioned so that when the speakers are playing at high frequency there will be no interference from vibration.

What’s one drawback to owning a reasonably-priced luxury item? They’re not as rare as the one-of-a-kinds priced in the millions price range. The Signature Diamond speakers from Bowers & Wilkins can be purchased at any Bowers & Wilkins dealers across 20 states for the bargain price of $25,000 USD.

Bowers & Wilkins Signature Diamond Series Speakers

The World's Most Expensive Umbrella

2011-02-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

The most expensive umbrella has been designed by Flavio Briatore, who is also the creator of Italian One Formula as well as designer Angelo Galasso. The umbrella is actually one in a line of Billionaire Italian Couture, which is a creation of these two geniuses and is a line of international couture that is reserved exclusively for men. What makes the umbrella so beautiful is the crocodile skin that it is completely constructed of. This crocodile skin is ironically water-resistant and also wind-proof, so you’re actually given the guarantee that your brolly won’t flip on you when you’re caught in the rain. Each umbrella is also given its own intricate details, so that even though you may be one of a few that ones such a luxury item, it’s still completely unique from others of the same kind.

The Billionaire Italian Couture umbrella is available at the Billionaire Couture’s store located in London for a price of $50,000. Maybe a little pricey but it’s sure not to leave you hanging out to dry!

World's Most Expensive Watermelon

2011-02-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

You can expect to pay a hefty price when shopping for watermelons in the local grocery store at a time when the fruit is not in season. However, there’s an area of Japan that takes the meaning of pricey produce to a whole new level.

In Japan is the northern island of Hokkaido and it is here that one of the rarest types of watermelons in the world, the Densuke watermelon, is grown. These watermelons are thought to be far superior to the American watermelons because they are sweeter and firmer. The Japanese actually purchase these watermelons as gifts because they are so rare and sometimes produce only sixty fruit during a harvest. The largest watermelon of one such harvest weighed 24 pounds and was sold for $5,945. However, this was still not the most expensive. The most expensive watermelon was lighter at 17 pounds but was a much healthier and heartier fruit. This melon sold at auction for $6,100.

World's Most Expensive Watermelon

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE FABRIC

2011-02-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Interested in quilting or sewing? Then you probably know just how expensive fabric can get! But what is the most expensive kind of fabric? It only makes sense that the world’s most expensive fabric, or cloth, would be made from the most expensive kind of material and indeed it is! The world’s most expensive cloth comes from vicuñas, which is the world’s most expensive wool.

The wool is so expensive because it comes from sheep that can only be shorn for the valuable wool once every three years. The Scabal company has pounced upon this expensive fabric in order to make the most expensive cloth in the world but because anyone with time, patience, know-how and access can obtain the rare Vicuña. So, in order to kick it up a notch, Scabal has also woven gold throughout the cloth to make it the very most expensive cloth in the world. But just how expensive is it? The most expensive cloth in the world is available for $1,775 per yard or $5,759 per meter and is appropriately named the Gold Treasure range. The cloth is available in charcoal, black, or midnight blue.

The Vicuña

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE DVD PLAYER

2011-02-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

DVD players are more and more popular every day and you can hardly find any VHS movies to rent at any outlet. Nevertheless, if you really want to watch your DVD movies in style you may want to check out the world’s most expensive DVD player.

Meridian Audio Ltd. creates many exclusive DVD players and the most expensive one as well, the Model 800, with a price tag of $19,950.00 USD.

The difference between this DVD player and others is that it plays videos recorded in the American NTSC and European PAL systems and uses proprietary software to decode the audio, complex processing to increase picture resolution and extra buffer memory.

Meridian Model 800

World's Most Expensive Diamond Per Carat

2011-02-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

In Hong Kong in 2007 the record for selling the most expensive diamond per carat in the world was set.

The diamond was sold at Sotheby auction house and is blue in color with precision details and cut.

The auction was held on October 8, 2007, and bidding only lasted for eight minutes, and was competitively fierce. The winning bidder of the diamond was Moussaieff Jewellers from London, who won the diamond with the highest bid of $7.98 million dollars USD.

The diamond’s weight clocks in at 6.04 carats, with a retail value of approximately $1.32 million USD per carat.

This diamond beats out the famous “Hancock Red” diamond, the previous world record setter that sold back in 1987 for a scant $926,000 per carat.

The only diamond that might rival this one in value is the largest diamond in the world, which clocks in a weight of 45.52 carats. This of course is the infamous Hope Diamond, and will never be sold.

World's Most Expensive Diamond Per Carat

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE DOG

2011-02-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Think that purebred that trots around your house was expensive? Well chances are that even for the most cherished of breeds, your dog wasn’t as expensive as one particular dog, who was not only expensive, but had great lengths taken to even ensure his existence.

The name of the most expensive dog is Lancelot Encore and his owners cloned him from one of their other beloved pets, Lancelot, a Labrador retriever. The couple took samples from the original Lancelot 5 years before winning the chance to have him cloned at an auction. The auction was held by the California-based company, BioArts. The company then held the auction and after the couple from Florida won the cloning item, BioArts hired a Korean company, Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, to clone the precious dog. The cloning of the dog cost $155,000 USD, which beat the price of the last animal cloned by $100,000. That animal was a bull that was called Second Chance.

The Florida couple who had their dog cloned are hopeful that with the same genetic backing and same environmental conditions, Lancelot Encore will turn out to be just as lovable and friendly as the original Lancelot. For that price, you would surely hope so!

Lancelot Encore

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE cat

2011-02-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

Would you pay $40,000.00+ USD. for a cat? Thought not, neither would we, but Cindy Jackson of London, England did back in 1999.

Cindy bought Cato, a second generation Bengal cat from breeder Esmond Gay for a meowing sum of £25,000.00 GB, making Cato the world's most expensive cat...maybe.

In 2003 Esmond Gay claimed to have bred a cat worth £100,000.00, but critics criticized him on this claim.

Esmond Gay also claims to have sold cats for as much as £65,000.00, but these claim were never proven.

Zeus

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE coin

2011-02-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

Minted since 1850, the American 1933 Double Eagle is made of solid gold. In 1933 the US government decided against distributing the coin and they were all destroyed, or so they thought.

George McCann managed to steal 10 of the coins, but all were recovered and destroyed, or so they thought.

Three survived, two of them are now in the Smithsonian, and the third ended up in a private collection in Egypt. Eventually the coin made it to New York to be sold, but was seized by Federal Agents and stored in a vault in the WTC.

Luckily, just weeks before 9/11 the coin was moved to Fort Knox.

July 30 2002 the coin was legally sold to an unnamed collector for just under $7,600,000.00 making it the most expensive coin in the world.

1933 Double Eagle

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BOX OF CHOCOLATES

2011-02-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Chocolate lovers may be happy to spend big bucks on their favorite snack but just how much are they really willing to spend? To prove yourself as the world’s biggest chocolate lover, you’ll need to take a trip to MarieBelle in New York, where you can buy the world’s most expensive box of chocolates for a mere $15,000. But ‘box’ may not be the proper definition for this massive quantity of chocolate and MarieBelle doesn’t consider it a box either. Nope, for all of this fabulous sugar, only the term ‘trunk’ of chocolate will do!

The Chocolate Picnic Steamer Trunk contains 500 pieces of chocolate ganache, five pounds of chocolate bark and croquettes, 80 ounces of Aztec hot chocolate, divided up into 4 tins, 8 ounces of Aztec Hot Chocolate Bars, Aztec Iced Chocolate, , which comes in a 20 ounce tin, and things to do whilst you enjoy all of the goodness: a journal bound in fine, genuine leather, a teapot, an infuser, and just in case you want to read all about this sweet wonderfulness that is chocolate – a small library filled with books all about chocolate! To get it, not only do you have to have cash but you have to visit the store in New York City in person. If you don’t want to buy the trunk but are still in the area you can still taste the delicious MarieBelle chocolate for only $12 and for that you will receive a box containing 4 chocolates!

The Chocolate Picnic Steamer Trunk

World’s Most Expensive Two-Way Speaker System

2011-02-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

Two-way speakers—speakers with only woofers and tweeters and no midrange drivers—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 Audio Note from releasing their high-end AN/E two-way speaker systems.
While we previously reported Bower and Wilkins’ Signature Diamond system as the most expensive two-way speaker system in the world, its price is dwarfed by that of the Audio Note AN/E SOGON system.
Audio Note’s watchword seems to be “efficiency.” Well, at more than 95 decibels at 1 Watt, the AN/E certainly delivers. The AN/E SOGON is housed in a cabinet designed for both driver dispersion and bass output and has frequency bandwidth from 18 Hz to 23 kHz at -6 dB. It features AN silver foil caps, ALNICO woofer and tweeter magnets (as available) and braided strands of Audio Note’s 99.99% pure silver SOGON cables.
This luxury two-way speaker system is priced at $125,000, but several less expensive versions of the AN/E are available.

Most Expensive Car Audio System

2011-02-06T06:20:00.000-08:00

Looking 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 of systems will be installed with nine or ten drivers—four tweeters, four mid-range drivers and one or two subwoofers. These will be supported with up to six amplifiers capable of delivering extraordinarily clear sound at equally extraordinary volumes (0.0008% harmonic distortion at 100 watts and a signal-to-noise ratio higher than 115dB). All of these features will ensure that your car stereo will sound better than it ever has.

Drivers used in the RA:1K
Additionally, the central amp will include a cellular connection allowing Rogue technicians to remotely tune the system or even disable it if it’s stolen. The system can even diagnose itself and, if necessary, automatically request that a service appointment be scheduled.
The most basic version of the most expensive car audio system can be purchased for $72,000, but a serious audiophile can spend over $300,000 on all the bells and whistles that may be included.
Prior to the unveiling of the Rogue Acoustics Audio System, Critical Mass’ CES5.1 Electrostatic Surround Sound System was the most expensive car audio system available. It was lauded for the twelve relatively small electrostatic speakers included in the system; such speakers are normally quite large. In fact, the system outfitted four seats with independent left, right and center drivers while a single pair of rear speakers and a UL12 subwoofer dominated the back of the car. Only ten of these systems were made and they were priced at $259,000.

World’s Most Expensive Speakers

2011-02-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it seems like there’s no limit to the amount of money audiophiles will pay to have the ultimate audio experience. For those of you with bottomless pockets and seasoned ears, here are the most expensive speakers in the world.

7. ADAM Audio’s Olympic Sound System
$325,000
Featuring sixty drives, twelve built-in amps and digital sound processing unit, the OSS is a sonic powerhouse. The 8.5-foot tall speaker system has a frequency response from 18 Hz to 50 KHz.
6. Magico’s Ultimate
$354,000

The Magico Ultimate speaker system is a five-way system housed in 7.5-foot aircraft-grade hard-anodized aluminum enclosures, featuring four pairs of high-grade compression drivers with 8 ohms of impedance and sensitivity greater than 110 dB as well as a pair of subwoofers with 4 ohms of impedance and 88 dB sensitivity. The system has a frequency response from 22 Hz to 30 KHz. It also requires the use of 10 channels of premium amplification, which could easily run you an extra $200,000 but will benefit from the Ultimate’s ultra-efficient design and could produce levels comparable to a hard rock concert.

5. Acapella Audio Arts’ Sphaeron Excalibur
$380,700
Made for rooms that are at least 40m², Sphaeron Excalibur features three-dimensional sound and can handle 1,000 watts for 10 ms with no distortion. Handmade in Germany, these speakers are as pleasing to the eyes as they are to the ears.
5. CAT’s MBX
$500,000

California Audio Technology (CAT) specializes in custom speaker systems that are better than studio quality. These are usually built into their surroundings for maximum subtlety and are programmed with the layout of the room in mind. For those who want to show off their speakers, though, CAT can also make their speakers with their own housing.

4. Moon Audio’s Signature Titan
$500,000
At six feet and nearly 3,000 lbs, these limited edition speakers are no small matter. Their features include built-in auto-room tune correction and frequency response from 15 Hz to 90 KHz. Each of these systems are signed by the designer and only three have been produced.

3. Wisdom Audio’s Infinite Wisdom Grande
$700,000
Meant to be used in the largest of rooms, Infinite Wisdom Grande features twenty-four drivers per pair and an unprecedented number of transducers. They also happen to be over 13 feet tall and weigh almost two tons.
2. Kharma’s Grand Enigma
$1,000,000
Kharma, Dutch makers of top quality audio products, aren’t exactly forthcoming about the Grand Enigma. Reportedly, this expensive speaker system is entirely unique. What we do know is that the system was tested by a team of specialists and installed in a cellar in Belgium. Grand Exquisite, Kharma’s second most expensive speaker system, commands a mere $220,000 price tag.

1. Transmission Audio’s Ultimate
$2,000,000
At $2 million, Transmission Audio’s Ultimate system is truly the pinnacle of bank-breaking speaker systems. I’d wager it sounds pretty good as well.
Ultimate consists of twelve 500W speakers, an Audio Laboratory BP-1 dual-mono power amp and a BC-1 preamp. In addition to the already impressive array of speakers, Ultimate also features forty 15” subwoofers and another twenty-four 8” woofers. On the high-midrange and high frequency levels, ribbon technology is employed for high fidelity and reliability.

world’s Most Expensive Castle

2011-02-05T16:26:00.000-08:00

While every medieval fortress is a treasure trove of history, some are such cultural icons that they are virtually priceless. England’s Tower of London and Windsor Castle are such landmarks, and merely suggesting a price tag for either of those would be unthinkable.
Not so is Bran Castle in Romania. Archduke Dominic von Habsburg, a New York architect and grandson of King Ferdinand I of Romania, put the castle up for sale in 2007. It is historically important as a the home of Romainian royalty, including Ferdinand’s wife, Queen Marie. It was seized by Romania’s communist regime in 1948 and only recently retroceded to Archduke Dominic.
You may know Bran Castle by a different name, after a more infamous occupant. It’s also called Castle Dracula.
Its association with Count Dracula is tenuous. The castle was briefly occupied in 1459 by Vlad III, the historical figure on whom Bram Stoker’s famous vampire was based.
While the Archduke’s original asking price was a mere $78 million, and even then he would only sell with the promise that the castle would be treated with due respect, the New York investment firm expected to sell it for over $135 million. That asking price would have made it the most expensive castle in the world.
The sale never happened, however, and the Archduke has instead turned Castle Bran into a museum dedicated to Queen Marie and the royal family.

World’s Most Expensive Music Box Sets

2011-02-05T16:23:00.000-08:00

Box sets used to run into the thousands, but have lately fallen in price—no doubt a result of the recession. For the majority of music fans, this is great news when looking to purchase some of their favorites, but there are still some out there that they’ll have to drop serious coin on. Check out our list of some of the world’s most expensive box sets—ranging in genre from classical to rock, these sets include such items of interest as books, DVDs, original artwork and even x-rated goods!

Herbert von Karajan: Complete Recordings on Deutche Grammaphon
Price: $3,300
One of history’s most celebrated conductors, Karajan has outsold every other classical music recording artist. This 240-disc Japanese set features two CDs of rehearsals, 100 and 200 page books (in Japanese), and a wooden cabinet-style box.

Arthur Rubinstein: The Rubinstein Collection
Price: $1,600
This 94-disc set features all of the Polish pianist’s studio-approved recordings—including three complete Beethoven cycles, Chopin cycles and around 200 previously unreleased tracks. The 706 recordings are remastered and the set includes a book of photos and essays.

Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box
Price: $789.98 (The most expensive box set in 2009!)
The complete set includes ninety CDs (every original album Yo-Yo Ma has recorded to date), two bonus discs featuring the first release of John Williams’ Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha for Cello and Orchestra, entirely re-mastered with DSD technology, a 312-page hard-bound book, a beautifully designed velvet-lined box, numbered limited-edition with letter of authenticity, a rare archival of photos, essays, full track lists, original liner notes, and more. It’s available at Borders, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

The Pixies: Minotaur Box Set
Price: $753.98
This box set features all five of the band’s studio albums—Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova and Trompe le Monde—on 24k gold-plated discs and 180-gram vinyl. It also includes a 96-page fine art book and a 52-page photo book, a bookmark signed by all the members of the Pixies, two double-sided posters and a Giclee print of some of Oliver’s art. Topping it all off is a DVD and Blu-ray with all five Pixies albums on 5.1 Surround Sound Mix, an unreleased 1992 concert from London’s Brixton Academy and all of the band’s music videos.

Jascha Heifetz: RCA Living Stereo Box Set (Road Case)
Price: $699.99
Lithuanian violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz was known for a mechanical stage presence that belied the emotionality of his playing. This set features nine albums on thirty-three 12” 45 rpm LPs, including Beethoven and Tchaikovsky concertos in D. All of this is bundled in a heavy duty road case.

The Beatles: Stereo Box Set
Price: $661.98
This is the 2009 Japanese remastered box set. It includes sixteen discs along with a DVD, a bonus Japanese text booklet and Obi. The stereo remastered versions of these thirteen studio albums along with the Past Masters CD are all included. There are also a lot of extras included in this box set, such as a DVD that includes a short documentary on the making of each album.

Abba: Paper Sleeve Box
Price: $507.99
Be the complete Abba fan with this deluxe limited edition nine-CD Box Set, with each disc presented in Paper Sleeves. All eight albums are here, along with a bonus disc exclusive to this box set!

Rammstein: Liebe Ist Für Alle Da
Price: $409.99
This is a unique box set to say the least. This version of Rammstein’s sixth studio album, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, comes expansively packaged in a flight case style box. The package contains the deluxe edition version of the album, six sex toys (numerically corresponding to each member of the band), handcuffs and lubricant. It definitely makes for an interesting gift!

SBB: Anthology 1974-2004
Price: $340.99
A Box Set containing twenty-two studio and live albums by SBB. The last two albums are compilations of rare and unreleased tracks with guest musicians such as Tomasz Stanko. Those two CDs are available ONLY in the box set. It’s a limited edition (only 1000 copies released).

The Beatles: USB Box Set
Price: $229.99
The apple-shaped USB drive is loaded with the critically acclaimed remastered audio for The Beatles’ fourteen stereo titles, as well as all of the remastered CDs’ visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes.

Most Expensive Record

2011-02-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of The Quarrymen? No? Well, it may shock you to find out that that a vanity record pressed by this group is worth something like £100,000 ($200,000 USD). Even more surprising, the world’s most expensive record is a single—a cover of Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day.”

If you’re wondering how a cover by a nobody band could be worth so much, perhaps it’d help to know that three of the band’s members went on to form three quarters of the legendary pop rock group, The Beatles. Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison are all featured on the most expensive record, along with fellow Quarrymen Colin Hanton and John “Duff” Lowe.
Most members of the band attended Quarry Banks grammar school, from which they derived the name. The band lasted until 1958, when Lowe and Hanton left the group. After that, the group went through several names before settling on The Beatles.
Sir Paul McCartney still owns the world’s most expensive record. Record Collector, a magazine, arrived at the £100,000 figure through information from experts, collectors and dealers.
The expensive single also contains an original B-side by McCartney and Harrison, “In Spite of All the Danger.”

World’s Most Expensive Movie Posters

2011-02-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

A 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 latter type of collector in mind, we turn to the most expensive movie posters in the world.

“Metropolis” – $690,000
A private collector acquired this expensive movie poster at auction from the Austrian National Library in Vienna in 2005. Only three other copies of the poster are known to have survived to the current day—one in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, another in a private collection and a second copy in the Austrian National Library. The expensive poster was created to promote Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction masterpiece, “Metropolis.”
The German film, set in the year 2026, dealt with the schism between two societal castes in the film’s titular city—the wealthy thinkers and planners, and the underground working class. The film cost roughly $14 million to make, adjusted for inflation, and was the most expensive silent movie at the time of its release. Sadly, much of the original footage has been lost and it cannot be viewed in its intended form.
“The Bride of Frankenstein” – estimated at $700,000

Heritage Auctions expects to sell this teaser one-sheet, the only surviving poster of its kind, at their Beverly Hills Signature Movie Poster Auction in November, 2010. The poster comes from the Collection of Todd Feiertag, likely the largest collection of vintage horror movie posters of all time.
“The Bride of Frankenstein” is the sequel to the original 1931 “Frankenstein,” starring Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster. In the film, the monster coerces his humbled creator into creating another monster to serve as his mate. The film cost just under $400,000 to produce, or around $6 million in today’s currency.

Most Expensive Fireworks Display

2011-02-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

It’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 promised to take home the Guinness world record the largest and most artistically detailed fireworks display during New Year’s 2007/2008. The display, meant honor Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision for “The New Middle-East,” was set up in over 20 locations along the Dubai beachfront and all of Dubai’s private sector were invited to support the project. They’re so sure that they secured the record, in fact, that they designed three covers for the 2009 Guinness Book to dedicate to the Dubai’s ruler.
The display ended in a rainbow stretching from one end of the Dubai coast to the other.
While an exact figure isn’t available, we can be sure that Dubai’s 2007/2008 New Year’s fireworks display was the most expensive fireworks display in the world.

Most Expensive Camel

2011-02-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

Sheikh 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 Wool

2011-02-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Expensive fabrics have always been a cornerstone of trade; so much so, in fact, that some species have been hunted nearly to extinction. Such is the case with the vicuña, a South American relative of the llama and the alpaca. The vicuña’s rarity and the difficulties inherent in harvesting the skittish animal’s coat have made it the most expensive wool in the world.

An Ibanez vicuña wool sweater

The vicuña’s coat is desirable because it’s the finest wool in the world and, more importantly, because of its warmth. The expensive wool’s tiny scales interlock, trapping insulating air to keep its wearer warm. The wool is usually left its natural color because it’s very sensitive to chemical treatment.
The current regulations were first enacted in 1974, when the number of vicuñas was reduced to around 6,000. Today, there are around 125,000 vicuñas—many of them under the protection of Peruvian law. A single vicuña produces a pound of wool every year which, under Peru’s labeling system, can only be harvested every three years. They are captured, sheared alive and returned to the wild. Garments from clothiers such as Ibanez come with government certification as proof that the vicuña wool was legally harvested.

A yard of the world’s most expensive wool may fetch prices that range from $1,800-3,000 USD. Comparatively, merino wool may go for around $50 and a yard of cashmere can fetch over $100 per yard.

Most Expensive Sheets

2011-02-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

The 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 are these sheets made of the finest merino wool backed with thousand-count Egyptian cotton sheet, they’re also threaded with 22 carat gold. These luxurious sheets are handmade to your specifications so you can be sure you’re getting the best quality linens that money can buy.
And just how much money does it take to buy? The pillowcases alone cost £1,200 (around $2,400 USD). One can only imagine how much the rest of the world’s most expensive sheets actually cost.

Luxury Children’s Beds

2011-02-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sleep is just as important—if not more important—to kids as it is to adults. So if you have the cash, why not treat your kids to one of these luxury children’s beds?
Vi-Spring, maker of luxury beds of all kinds, created these divan beds to provide comfort and support to children five years and older. Best of all, the beds are made with 100% natural materials—as long as you don’t count the metal springs, at least. Vi-Spring contends that natural materials such as cotton or lambswool breathe more readily than synthetic materials and allow for a more restful night.
Vi-Spring’s luxury children’s beds are handcrafted with your choice of over sixty mattresses and divan fabrics. Prices start at £1,200—that’s around US $2000. At that price, these beds may be the most expensive children’s beds in the world!

World’s Most Expensive Mattresses

2011-02-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

People have been tirelessly searching for the best and most comfortable mattress for years. Tempur-Pedic, Kingsdown, Select Comfort, and Healthsmart by Simmons are some of the most recognizable names in mattresses, and some of the best sellers too. Beds with these brand names are known for their hypoallergenic components and control switches. What’s funny about the expensive bed market is that there are no conclusive studies about what surface is better for the most productive sleep, it simply has to do with individual preference.

The Vividus—made by Hastens—is the most expensive bed in the world. Its name is Latin for “Full of Life.” Sleeping on the Swedish designed Vividus bed has been described as “sleeping on a cloud.” All that sounds pretty appealing until you see the price tag of $59,750. That’s a far cry from your average $700 queen-sized mattress.
If you’re looking to buy a little closer to home, then check out America’s most expensive mattress—the E. S. Kluft Beyond Luxury Sublime.

Each Kluft mattress is handcrafted by a bedding artisan and the Beyond Luxury Sublime is no exception. Made with a blend of cashmere, silk, exotic wools, high-quality horsehair, certified organic cotton and all-natural Talaly latex, the most expensive American-made mattress is both truly luxurious and truly comfortable.
The mattress features a tissue pick design to offset the cream-colored jacquard damask and the surface is emblazoned with a large Wedgewood blue medallion for a stately, royal look.
For those without 44 grand to spare, Kluft offers beds at a variety of price points—some below $1,000. Best of all, they even offer a 20-year warranty.

Luxury Blankets

2011-02-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

When it comes down to it, the pursuit of wealth is the pursuit of comfort—and what could be more comfortable than, well, a comforter? That’s why we’ve put together a list of some of the most expensive blankets money can buy.
Willoughby Siberian White Goose Down Comforter – $375-$1,100

This hypoallergenic comforter is filled with at least 90% Siberian white goose down. The shell is 100% microfiber, which will prevent that expensive filling from leaking out far better than a standard cotton shell would. It’s sewn through with true baffle box construction, which prevents the lumpy texture that comes from filling migrating within the shell over time. It even has a white satin trim. This luxury comforter is only available in white, but can be purchased in sizes from twin to king and is available in both summer and winter weights.
Stacks & Stacks Alpaca Fur Bedspread – $996

This queen-sized luxury bedspread is made with soft Alpaca fur—the softest fur in the world. It also features a genuine Alpaca leather backing. Be warned, however, that the sheet covering the backing may be a little rough. The fur bedspread can be purchased in three colors—white, beige and dark brown.
Kumi Kookoon’s Silk Dream Blankets – $1,113-$1,526

Perhaps the king of all luxury blankets, Kumi Kookoon makes their blankets from the finest Chinese raw mulberry silk—from the charmeuse silk shell to the stretched silk filling. The blankets use an innovate modular design wherein the smaller winter blanket is tied to the top of the summer blanket, leaving a six-inch border of visible summer blanket. The blankets can be purchased in a variety of colors and are purchased separately—meaning the full winter/summer blanket combo can cost over $3,000.

Most Expensive Piece of Furniture

2011-02-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

The world’s most expensive piece of furniture isn’t a bed, a chair or even a couch—it’s a cabinet. Blurring the line between art and craft, the Badminton Cabinet is truly a unique item.
The Badminton Cabinet (or Badminton Chest) was commissioned by Henry Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort, at the age of 19. It took thirty experts six years to create and is named after the Duke’s seat of power, Badminton House in Gloucestershire, where it sat until it was auctioned by his descendents in the late 20th century.
The ebony cabinet is over 12 feet tall and features scenes rendered in pietre dure—the arrangement of finely cut, polished and colored stones. Among the inlaid stones are a number of semiprecious stones.The clock face set at the top of the cabinet is marked with fleurs-de-lis.
The Badminton Cabinet became the most expensive piece of furniture in the world when it was auctioned for $15.1 million in 1990 and retained its status when it was auctioned again in 2004, this time for $36.7 million.

World’s Most Expensive Vases

2011-02-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

Some of the earliest pottery has been discovered in China, dating back to 9000 BC, and ceramic goods from the region can be traced back to the dynasties under which they were created. In fact, the first porcelain is believed to have been created under the Han dynasty from 202 BC to 220 AD. As China’s history is rich with beautiful ceramic art, it’s no surprise that the most expensive vases in the world are Chinese.
Ming dynasty vase – over US $10 million

The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. That era in Chinese history saw the creation of a startling amount of carved lacquerwares, glazed porcelain wares, embroidered silks and works of art in a variety of other materials. The Empire of the Great Ming also produced a great number of forgeries designed to part unsuspecting purchasers from their wealth. This was such a problem, in fact, that guides were printed to help detect such forgery. We can be sure, then, that this vase is quite authentic.
Hailing from the time of Hongwu, the founder of the Ming dynasty, the expensive vase was most recently purchased at auction by Steve Wynn. The Las Vegas casino owner and insatiable art collector is often criticized by the art community for paying high prices for second-rate pieces, but this purchase is certainly an exception. The 14th century vase is decorated in copper red scrolling flowers and is, well preserved as it is, quite rare.
Mr. Wynn purchased the expensive vase at the Christie’s Imperial Sale in Hong Kong for 78,520,000 Hong Kong dollars. Rather than keep it locked away in his private collection, however, he returned the vase to China by donating it to a Macau museum.
Qianlong vase – over US $80 million

The Qing dynasty succeeded the Ming dynasty and ruled China until 1911. The Qianlong Emperor became the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty in 1736 and, during his time in power, imperial supervisor Tang Ying authored an illustrated memoir called “Twenty Illustrations of the Manufacture of Porcelain.”
This 18th-century porcelain vase was inherited by a mother and son who, if reports are to be believed, have gone into hiding due to the £12 million in taxes they will be expected to pay after the vase, only expected to sell for £1.2 million, reached an amazing £53 million at auction.
The buyer was a wealthy Chinese industrialist and collector of antiquities.

Most Expensive Stool

2011-02-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

Imagine you’re sitting in your Eileen Gray “Dragons” chair, sipping a glass of Dalmore 62 Highland Malt Scotch Whisky. Where do you put your feet? Unless you somehow missed the title, you already know the answer—the world’s most expensive stool.
Sold by a jewelry store in China’s Jiangsu province, this expensive stool is made of 110 lbs of solid gold and is priced at $1.3 million.

Most Expensive Trash Can

2011-02-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

The world’s most expensive garbage cans are the work of contemporary pop artist Sylvie Fleury.
Created in a limited edition of twenty-five pieces, these garbage cans are made of steel pressed with gold leaf. Each one is stamped with “SF 2003” and its individual number on the underside. Number 25 was made available at Phillips de Pury & Company’s Contemporary Art Sale in New York on May 15th 2009.
Fleury’s other works include various “MINISKIRTS ARE BACK” paintings and an installation featuring a pyramid of Slim-Fast boxes.
The most expensive trash cans in the world are valued at $10,000-15,000.

World’s Most Expensive Stove

2011-02-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

The vast majority of the pricey items featured on this site are made with costly materials such as gold or diamonds, and the most expensive stove in the world is no exception. Unlike many of those goods, however, this stove was a work of art before it received the gold treatment.
Whether you’re heating your soup or heating your home, a wood-burning stove like the Iron Dog 05 Huraxdax can be of service. The word Huraxdax is Bavarian for “decampment of joy” and you’ll certainly feel that joy has broken camp on its way to see you as the Iron Dog 05 begins to heat up to nearly 1,000 square feet of your humble abode. Best of all, the stove’s degree of efficiency is rated at 82%.
The stove is two-and-a-half feet tall and was designed by sculptor Joseph Michael Neustifter, an artist whose traditional Bavarian works grace the walls of over 80 churches. Each stove takes approximately two months to produce.
The Huraxdax stove is available in cast iron, silver and gold. The gold version of the stove weighs in at 260 kilograms and is priced in excess of $4 million.

World’s Most Expensive Wallpaper

2011-02-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

What kind of artist works with a hunting knife? Ask Mark Evans, the pioneer whose work has been called “leather sculpting.” That work will soon adorn the walls of one Russian billionaire’s mansion as the most expensive wallpaper in the world.
Evans works by etching the leather down to the suede with a number of bladed tools of different sizes, from a large hunting knife to several sculpting knives. The results are photorealistic depictions of animals, the crucifixion and even the celebrated “Fight of the Year” between Doug Jones and Muhammed Ali.
Evans’ leather etchings will cover the walls of two rooms in a mansion in Moscow. The unnamed billionaire’s wallpaper will cost $2.71 million, or around $23,675 per square meter.

World’s Most Expensive Porsches

2011-02-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

According to New York’s Luxury Institute, who surveyed 500 households with incomes over $200,000 in 2006, Porsche is the most prestigious brand of automobiles. While some may argue in favor of Bugatti or Rolls-Royce, that is still high praise indeed.

Porsche Carrera GT
The most expensive new Porsche currently avaialable is the Porsche Carrera GT at $440,000. With a top speed of 205+ mph and the capability to accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, it’s certainly fast enough to justify its price.

Porsche 918 Spyder
Their new concept car, the Porsche 918 Spyder, will be the German company’s next most expensive production car. The 918 Spyder is a two-seater convertible with a 500 hp V8 engine. It has a top speed of 199 mph and can accelerates from 0 to 60 in under 3.2 seconds. Its electric drive-systems allow it to run 15 miles on electric power and it consumes fuel at a rate of 78 miles per gallon.
This fantastic new Porsche is likely to have an MSRP around $650,000.
If you’re looking for the most expensive Porsche in history, however, look no further than this Porsche 917, chassis no. 031/026.

This Porsche, originally a 1970 Gulf-JWA Le Mans 917K Coupe numbered 026, made history when it was driven by David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood in the 1970 Le Mans. In the middle of a downpour in the 50th lap, Hailwood cruised past the pit stop where rain tires were readied and crashed into a parked car. What was left of the vehicle was repaired with the 031 chassis, but swapped numbering with the original 026 chassis to avoid complications.
The original 026 chassis, now numbered 031, was repaired and re-issued as a 1972-73 Porsche 917 Interserie Spyder. It was driven by Ernst Kraus in the 1972 European InterSerie Championship and by Jurgen Barth in the 1973 series.
This storied Porsche is equipped with a 5.4 liter, flat-12 cylinder, 630 horsepower engine and weighs approximately 1,600 lbs. It was sold at an August 2010 Bonhams & Butterfields auction at Quail Lodge in Monterey, where it achieved a staggering $3.9 million price.

Most Expensive Hybrid Car in Production

2011-02-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

Toyota, the makers of the Lexus line of luxury autos, has just publicly disclosed the full details regarding its newest model. With the success of the less expensive Toyota “Prius”, it only makes sense for Toyota to produce a higher-end model, and the new Lexus LS 600h L will be the most expensive hybrid car in production.
Technological advances and industry firsts help make this hybrid car expensive. The engine will be the world’s first full hybrid V8 powertrain engine. Other specs include full-time all-wheel drive, 430 horsepower, and an extremely low emission rating that puts other hybrids to shame.

The Lexus Hybrid Drive system found in the LS 600h L claims to be the automotive industry’s most advanced gas-electric hybrid system developed to date, providing power and performance comparable to modern 12-cylinder engines while still delivering best-in-V8-class fuel efficiency. The LS 600h L will also be the world’s first vehicle to be equipped with LED headlamps for night and low-beam use.
The expensive hybrid car also boasts cutting edge safety features like three on-board cameras monitoring everything from obstacles in the road, to the direction the driver’s head is turned. The price tag on these cars will not be cheap, and the Lexus are expected to retail for $104,000 base MSRP when it reaches dealers in June.

Most Expensive Car in the World

2011-02-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

If your passion for performance and luxury autos cannot be stopped, and your McLaren F1 is becoming a bore along with the rest of your exotic cars, it might be time to check out Top Gear’s “Car of the Decade,” the Bugatti Veyron. The most recent model, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, has an estimated price tag of $2.3 million and, if that figure is even close to the ultimate price, will be the most expensive car in the world.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport “World Record Edition”
The Super Sport, unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2010, is not your typical luxury car. Its W16 engine—essentially two narrow-angle V8s sharing a crankshaft—with four turbochargers generates 1,200 hp and, along with improved aerodynamics over the original Veyron, allows it to reach a top speed of 268 miles per hour. That makes the Super Sport the fastest production car in the world.
The original Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which entered production in 2005, hits 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, does the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds and reaches its top speed of 252 mph in just 55 secs. It came after a long absence from the market for Bugatti and helped the brand reclaim its title as the ultimate performance car and reign supreme as the world’s most expensive production car.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4
The Veyron is named after Pierre Veyron, who won the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans while driving a Bugatti Type 57 with Jean-Pierre Wimille.

World’s Most Expensive Speeding Tickets

2011-02-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Here in the US, you can expect to pay the same for a speeding ticket whether you’re a millionaire or a pauper. Not so in Europe, however, where countries like Switzerland, Germany, France and Austria assess traffic fines based on the offender’s income.
In 2007, Switzerland overhauled their flat traffic fine system due to the disregard wealthy individuals had shown for basic traffic laws. This has led to a $290,000 fine for one repeat offender with an estimated $20 million in assets who was caught doing twice the 30 mph speed limit through a small village.
Similarly, a driver in France was charged 70,000 francs for speeding at 151 miles per hour.
Both of these fines, however, are dwarfed by the penalty to one Dutch 22-year-old who was caught doing 100 mph in a 50 mph zone near Rotterdam. In the Netherlands, an offense of that severity can result in the offender’s vehicle being confiscated by the authorities.

Unfortunately for the youth, son of Trust International CEO Michel Perridon, he was driving dad’s Bugatti Veyron—the most expensive car, valued at around $2.4 million, and now the most expensive traffic fine in the world.

World’s Most Expensive Model Car

2011-02-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

To a collector of model cars, a model of the Bugatti Veyron might be the centerpiece of their collection. It is, after all, the world’s most expensive car. Of course, for the truly dedicated—and well off—collector, the only option is the world’s most expensive model car.
The Bugatti Veyron Diamond Limited Edition, a collaboration between luxury designer Stuart Hughes and Swiss model car engineer Robert Gülpen, is a 1:18 scale replica of the ultimate luxury car, rendered in 24k gold, platinum and 7.2 carats of single cut flawless diamonds. The hoods and steering are functional and the engine is highly detailed. This fantastic model car weighs in at 15 pounds and took two months to produce.
Only three of the most expensive model car in the world have been created, each accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, glass house, aluminum case and photographic documentation of its manufacture. Even more phenomenal, the Bugatti Veyron Diamond Limited Edition costs twice as much as the car on which it is based—US $3 million.

Audi’s Auto Union Type C

2011-02-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

Audi’s Auto Union Type C pedal car may just be the world’s most expensive toy car. At an unofficial price of over $14,000 USD, the pedal car hearkens back to the days when Audi was known as Auto Union, a joint venture of four German auto manufacturers. The original Auto Union Type C dominated the auto racing in 1936 and has proven itself to be one of the most popular heritage models among Audi’s miniature offerings. It’s no wonder, then, that they would choose the Type C to be their most elaborate collectors’ item.
So what exactly makes this the most expensive toy car? For starters, the car is built at a 1:2 scale. This means it can accommodate drivers up to just under four and a half feet tall. Like a full-sized Audi race car, the space frame and body are made from aluminum paneling. It also features a hydraulic dual-disc brake, seven-speed hub gear and leather upholstery.

The expensive pedal car was unveiled to a rapt audience at the Paris Motor Show in 2006 and has a limited run of 999 models. It can be ordered from your local Audi importer.

World’s Most Expensive Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures

2011-02-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

One major draw of the miniature wargaming tradition, from which the modern role-playing game evolved, was the collection of masses of miniature units, siege engines and single figures. Those minis came in handy for early Dungeons and Dragons players, as the original game system was a variation of the Chainmail wargame. While miniatures became an optional component of D&D for a time, with the release of the third and fourth editions of the game by Wizards of the Coast, as well as a line of pre-painted plastic miniatures, miniatures are once again an integral part of the D&D experience.

Huge Gold Dragon – $40
Introduced in the Giants of Legends set—the first to include huge figures—along with the Huge Red Dragon below, the Huge Gold Dragon is an excellent example of the skill of Wizards of the Coast’s sculptors and painters. As a “good” dragon, however, its utility in the game is limited—players just don’t fight good creatures as often as their sinister counterparts.

Huge Red Dragon – $55
A true D&D staple, the red dragon has probably graced the covers of more books than any other monstrous creature in the game. It certainly helps that this figure is almost as stunning as the Huge Gold Dragon.

Colossal Red Dragon – $350
This amazing miniature, if that word still applies, was released as part of the Icons line of sculpts of the game’s most terrifying, iconic and, above all, enormous baddies. Colossal Red isn’t just large, though; he’s also menacingly posed and exceptionally well painted.

Snowball – $350+
Snowball is a bit of an oddity. This miniature was distributed to Wizards of the Coast employees over the holidays in 2007. As such, it’s a very limited item and the exact number produced is unknown. Snowball is a beholder, one of the game’s most bizarre and unique monsters, rendered in a translucent white plastic to represent a very D&D-ish sort of

World’s Most Expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards

2011-02-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

Crush Card Virus (Shonen Jump)

The genesis of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is interesting as far as collectible card games go. The Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise started as a manga series based around a fictional card game called Magic & Wizards (later called Duel Monsters). The first Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series was produced in 1998. It wasn’t until 2002 that the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG became a reality. Now it holds a Guinness World Record for being the top selling card game in the world.
So what are the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards?
Crush Card Virus (Shonen Jump) – $599.99
This card was awarded to a winner of the Shonen Jump Championships. Its value may have dropped, however, as it has been forbidden as of the September 2009 ban list.
Gold Sarcophagus (Pharaoh’s Tour & Shonen Jump) – $2,195.00 or $399.00

Gold Sarcophagus (Pharaoh’s Tour)

Awarded in both the Pharaoh’s Tour and Shonen Jump tournaments, this card is probably the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! card in the world. The Pharaoh’s Tour is the more valuable of the two.
Japanese Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon with Armor – $500,000
Does this card exist? Despite a few mentions here and there of this half-a-million-dollar card, little or no solid information on this card is available.

World’s Most Expensive Pokémon Cards

2011-02-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

Pikachu Illustrator

The Pokémon craze may have died down somewhat, but Nintendo’s media franchise still has a devoted fan base. While originally released as a pair of Game Boy games, Pokémon’s popularity led to a cartoon series, several feature length films and, of course, a collectible card game.

Charizard

The most expensive Pokémon card in the world is the Pikachu Illustrator card. Only six of these cards exist. They were created for a contest run by CoroCoro magazine in which children were invited to design their own Pokémon cards. The six winners won these holofoil trophy cards. They have been valued at up to $20,000.
Of the mass produced Pokémon cards, the most popular and expensive card is Charizard. It’s valued for its high HP of 120 and its devastating “Fire Spin” attack. It can fetch up to $125, but only if it’s a first edition card.

Most Expensive Magic: The Gathering Card

2011-02-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

Ever 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 his design. That game would go on to become their flagship game, winning awards from the likes of Mensa and the Origin Games Fair, and would eventually lead to Wizards claiming a patent on collectible card games. It was called Magic: The Gathering and to this day it’s enjoyed by over six million players all over the world.
The game, in which players take on the roles of dueling wizards, has spawned an organized tournament circuit, Duelists’ Convocation international or DCI, and a field of professional players. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the game, however, is the secondary market formed around valuable cards. Certain cards become highly valued through rarity or utility and may be purchased for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The world’s most expensive Magic: The Gathering card is an Alpha Black Lotus. The Black Lotus, a particularly powerful card in game play, was released in two limited sets—Alpha and Beta. The Alpha set, limited to only 1.1 million cards as opposed to Beta’s 4 million cards, consists of some of the rarest MtG cards out there. This particular Alpha Black Lotus was given the highest possible PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) grading, GEM MINT 10, and features artist Christopher Rush’s signature. It’s currently owned by renowned MtG authority Daniel Chang.
An exact figure on the price of the most valuable Magic: The Gathering card is unavailable, but collectors have paid $15,000 for lesser Black Lotus cards.