Friday, January 11, 2008

$128 million house

If money were no object you could spend $128 million to buy this 12 bedroom mansion in London. The house is located in Kensington Palace Gardens and boasts a 20 car garage, turkish baths, a ballroom, an oak-paneled picture gallery and an ornate basement pool.

$730,000 pen

If money were no object you could spend $730,000 to buy a Limited Edition Mystery Masterpiece pen. Made by a joint venture of Montblanc and Van Cleef & Arpels, the pen is covered in 840 diamonds plus 20 carats of rubies, sapphires or emeralds depending on the version.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

$3,346,456 photograph

If money were no object you could bid on a print of the photograph called '99 Cent II, Diptych' by Andreas Gursky the next time it comes up for auction (the word Diptych refers to a two-part photograph). In early 2007 a print of this photograph was bought for $3,346,456. The photograph depicts the interior of a discount store and it is huge - over 22 feet wide. There are so many colors and details it literally overwhelms the viewer. Another print of this photograph sold several months earlier for $2.48 million. Wow! You might want to get out there and take some pictures...

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

$210,000 truffle

If money were no object you could try to outbid a Truffle lover from Hong Kong who paid $210,000 for a 750 gram white truffle from Alba in Italy. This was the highest amount ever paid for a truffle. Alba is world-renowned for it's odorous white truffles.

$50,000 mattress

If money were no object you could spend $50,000 to buy a Vividus mattress. Made by Swedish manufacturer Hastens, these mattresses are made using materials such as all-natural horsehair, cotton, linen and wool. Each mattress is crafted completely by hand and takes over 160 hours to complete.

$5.1 million book

If money were no object you could spend $5.1 million to buy First Folio (also known as Comedies, Histories and Tradegies) written by William Shakespeare in 1623. The book includes a dozen plays that were not documented anywhere else.

$500 round of golf

If money were no object you could spend $500 for a round of golf at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. Open only to guests of the MGM Grand, this course is unbelievably beautiful. Designed by Tom Fazio, the course features sparkling creeks, towering waterfalls and lush gardens all framed by mountains.

$35 million private island

If money were no object you would spend $35 million and get your own private island. Pakatoa Island off the coast of New Zealand has 24 beachside cabins, 38 hillside cottages, 9 hole golf course, tennis courts, beaches, squash court, gym and restaurant. It is reachable by boat or plane - it has it's own landing strip.

$1 million watch

If money were no object you could spend $1 million to buy a Blancpain 1735 watch. The 1735 boasts six complications including it's slim case, a perpetual calendar, split-second chronograph, minute repeater, tourbillion and moon phase minder. It has 740 components and only 30 will be built. Each Blancpain 1735 takes 8 to 10 months to build by a single craftsman. Click here to find out more.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

$156,450 wine

If money were no object you could spend $156,450 to buy a bottle of Chateau Lafitte wine - bottled in 1787. Yes, 1787. Although this was the amount paid at auction way back in 1985 this remains the most expensive bottle of wine sold to date.

Monday, January 7, 2008

$500,000 chess set

If money were no object you could spend $500,000 to buy a Royal Diamond Chess set. Created by 30 craftsmen under the direction of renowned French artist and jeweler Bernard Maquin, the chess set is made from 1,168 grams of 14 carat white gold and 9,900 black and white diamonds. All of the work on the chess set was done by hand and took over 4,500 hours to create.

$140 million painting

If money were no object you could bid on the painting No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock the next time it comes up for auction. The painting sold for $140 million in 2006. The painting is 4 foot by 8 foot and is painted on a sheet of fiberboard. Yes, fiberboard. The painting is covered in generous amounts of brown and yellow paint forming a nest-like appearance.

$25,000 chocolate sundae

If money were no object you could spend $25,000 for a Frrozen Haute Chocolate sundae at Serendipity 3 restaurant in New York. The dessert (spelled with two r's) contains 28 cocoas including 14 of the most expensive and rare in the world, 5 grams of edible 23-karat gold, whip cream covered in gold and a side of La Madeline au Truffle from Knipschildt Chocolatier which sells for $2,600 a pound. The whole thing is served in a goblet lined with edible gold with an 18-karat gold bracelet and 1 carat of white diamonds. The dessert is eaten with a gold spoon decorated with white and chocolate-colored diamonds. Yummy!