As long as I can remember, I have always had my eyes open for something new to add to my collection. Usually the types of places I hunt for valuable finds are in flea markets and in old out of the way pawn shops, antique warehouses and used book stores.
Most of the time I have my eyes peeled for “collectors items” in the investment range of about $25. I usually try to negotiate with the seller to see if I can get the item for less, and I rarely spend more than that unless it is for something really special. Ok, I admit it - I am more of a budget collector. I am mostly seeking that undiscovered gem of potential value that I might find in the back of some old boutique.
The fact that I limit myself to a price range of $20 is not something that I specifically prefer, but more because of the fact that my current financial standing doesn’t really allow me to move much beyond the discount collector pieces.
Do you sometimes wonder what it would feel like to purchase some really rare item that would truly add monetary value to your collection? It seems that for some people cost is just not an issue, and they actually made some pretty extravagant purchases in the year 2008, most of them turning out to be pretty expensive investments as well…
1. 1961 Ferrari California Spyder Breaks Records with $10,894,900 Price Tag
This amazing looking car was purchased for an equally amazing price at an auction in Maranello, Italy last year by buyer Chris Evans, a popular British radio host. The Ferrari, previously owned by actor James Coburn, was finally sold at almost twice the price that it had been estimated to sell at. It seems that some people are happily willing to pay top prices for quality.
2. World’s Most Expensive License Plate Sold for $14.3 Million
It turns out that there is quite a demand for certain license plate numbers, especially among those buyers who have the kind of funds that are necessary to make this kind of a purchase. This particular deal cost roughly $14.3 million and was made by UAE based businessman Saeed Abdul Ghafour Khouri who paid this record breaking sum for the respect of showing that he is really number 1 - with a Abu Dhabi license plate aptly labeled “1” purchased at an auction held at the 7-star Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. I can’t help but wonder if the owner of the license plate and the Ferrari above shouldn’t just get together and combine their purchases to create one of the world’s highest priced car + license plate combinations ever… I wonder what the resell market price would be on an item like that?
3. Rare Blue Diamond Sells for World Record Price of $8.9 Million
We all know that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but it turns out that some girls have much more expensive taste in friends than other girls. The awesome blue diamond pictured above is a 13.39 carat beauty that sold for the record price of $8.9 million at a sale at Christie’s in Geneva last year. The diamond is considered quite rare and contains boron, giving it a slightly bluish color as well as giving it properties that make it a semi-conductor that conducts electricity. My grandfather would say that it had better do more than conduct some electricity - for that price you would expect at least bolts of lightning.
4. 1909 Honus Wagner Baseball Card Sells for $1.62 Million
You may think that this has got to be the record price paid for a baseball card. Actually no, the record price for a baseball card is really $2.8 million, which was paid in 2007 for another Wagner card. I guess this guy must have been a really good baseball player! I wonder how much his yearly salary was back in 1909…
5. Rare 3 Cent Stamp Sells for Over $1 Million
This 3-cent, rose-colored “B Grill” stamp is among only 4 examples of this valuable stamp known to be in existence. An anonymous buyer made this part of their personal collection when they secured the winning bid of $1,035,000. Nothing like purchasing a quality stamp for your collection.
6. Russian Oligarch Pays Record Breaking $750 Million for Riviera Villa
This mansion, built by King Leopold II of Belgium in 1902 was purchased in 2008 for a sum far above the going price, even for a luxurious villa on the French Riviera. Mikhail Prokhorov is said to have paid more than $750 million for Villa Leopolda, located between Nice and Monaco. Now this is the type of place where you can really entertain guests…
7. Painting by Francis Bacon Breaks Record with Selling Price of Over $86 Million
Triptych 1974-77 by Francis Bacon (1909-1992) sold for $86.3 Million in May last year making it the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction and the most valuable Contemporary work ever sold in Europe. If you have ever wondered how prices go so high for pieces like this, it turns out that some folks just seem to have more money for their “collection” budgets than many small countries.
8. $2.1 Million Paid for Opportunity to Dine with Billionaire Warren Buffett
In the most expensive charity auction ever held on eBay, a Chinese investment manager won the chance last year to have lunch with the billionaire Warren Buffett by bidding $2,110,100. Zhao Danyang of the Hong Kong-based Pureheart China Growth Investment Fund apparently has an investment philosophy that he says is similar to Buffett’s approach, basically one of finding companies with a competitive advantage that are selling for significantly less than what they are worth. I hope that this little dinner get together was worth the extraordinary price but I just have to wonder… Did he also have to pay the bill for the food as well?
9. European Billionaire Commissions World’s Most Expensive Watch
A $6.5 million watch was commissioned by a European billionaire for a one-of-a-kind timepiece made by Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin that will make it the world’s most expensive new watch. The timepiece, which could apparently take years to complete, is expected to include the following:
* Perpetual calendar and leap year
* Star chart and celestial annual calendar
* Tourbillon regulator
* Sunrise and sunset indication
* Perpetual time equation
* Phases and age of the moon
* Substantial power reserve
* Multiple time zones and day-night indication
At least he got some special features designed into it. I have always wanted a watch with a star chart and celestial annual calendar. Lucky guy!
10. Rare Marilyn Monroe Photographs Sell for $150,000
A collection of 36 rare photographs thought to be the last professional images of the star Marilyn Monroe were sold last year for $150,000 at an auction in New York. The famous actress posed nude in this photo shoot for a 1962 issue of Vogue only six weeks before she died of an overdose. The pictures, taken by photographer Bert Stern, were eventually published in the magazine as a final memorial to the iconic actress.
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