There are some outrageously expensive things in this world, and people will actually pay money for them - from large yachts to collector items and long-dead animals. You will be surprised at how much certain things cost and wonder how anyone could afford such a thing.
If someone has all the money in the world to spend, why not buy some ridiculously expensive piece of art, jewellery, or a collector's item? If you have ever wondered what the most expensive things in the world are, then Spin Genie has the answers you've been looking for!
There is a lot of wealth in this world, and the following list can prove it.
The Top 10 Most Expensive Things in the World!
1. Yacht History Supreme
Price tag: $4.8 billion
Location: Potentially Malaysia, as it is said to be owned by a Malaysian businessman
You cannot have a list of the most expensive things in the world and not include a yacht. The Yacht History Supreme is the most expensive Yacht in the entire world. It is worth around a whopping $4.8 billion.
The average selling price of a yacht is about $640,000 - just to put it into perspective for you. UK luxury designer Stuart Hughes designed the Yacht, which took around three years to complete. A Malaysian businessman bought the 100-foot vessel for 4.5 billion dollars.
Now you may be wondering what makes this Yacht so expensive. Hughes used about 100,000 kg of some of the most precious metals, such as platinum and solid gold. These metals were used to build everything from the base to the staircases, dining room, and more.
The main bedroom is made of meteorite rock, making it the main attraction. Who wouldn't want to sail the seas on a vessel made of gold?
2. Hubble Space Telescope
Price tag: $2.1 billion
Location: About 340 miles (547 km) above the Earth's surface.
According to the Guinness book of world records, the Hubble space telescope holds the record for being the most expensive telescope in the world. It was launched in 1990 and has since made some of the most groundbreaking discoveries.
The Hubble has given us insight into the age of the universe and understanding our universe better, so it's easy to understand why this telescope is so expensive.
3. Antilia
Price tag: $2 billion
Location: Altamount Road, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai
The world is full of magnificent mansions, but there's one that takes the cake: Antilia. This mansion costs around $2 billion. Buckingham Palace comes in at $6.7 Billion, but that's royalty, while Antilia is owned by a billionaire who worked his way up the corporate ladder.
Antilia is owned by Mukesh Ambani, who is the second richest person in Asia and the 11th richest in the world.
This $2 billion mansion has some of the most astounding amenities, like a ballroom, three helipads, parking space for 168 cars, air traffic control, a 50-seat theatre, nine high-speed elevators, and more.
The house has 27 levels and has been designed in a way that it can survive an earthquake of a magnitude of 8.0!
4. Villa Leopolda
Price tag: $506 million
Location: 1324- France, 1670 Av. Léopold II, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Villa Leopoldo is found on the French Riviera, Villefranche-sur-Mer, in the Alpes-Maritimes department. It is the second most expensive home in the world. It was first a hospital during World War II, and today it is owned by Edmund and Lily Safra.
Nobel kings once owned the land, and it has now become a party paradise for billionaires. It has also been the backdrop for some very famous films. The views from the villa are impeccable, and it has been a place for the most extravagant parties.
A Russian billionaire tried to buy the villa in 2008, and the furniture alone cost about €19.5 million. The whole villa costs $506 million.
5. The Card Players
Price tag: $275 million
Location: Qatar
An art piece can also cost you millions. Most are collector's items or are works from some of the world's most renowned artists. They are a little slice of history, and the art world has some of the most beautiful artefacts.
One is French artist Paul Cezzane's painting 'The Card Players'. This painting cost 275 million US dollars and was won and is now owned by the Royal family Al Thani, Qatar.
Only five card players exist in the world, and the others can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Musée d'Orsay. Qatar bought the painting in an attempt to become an international intellectual hub.
The price they paid is the highest price that has ever been paid for a work of art, and it is more than double the current record for a piece of art. However, this purchase did get Qatar into the cool kids club, as they are 1 of 5 owners, making them quite elite.
6. Garçon à la pipe - painting
Price tag: $104 million
Location: It was sold on May 5th, 2004, at the Sothebys auction in New York
The one and only Pablo Picasso did this piece. It is one of his earliest works and was done in 1905 when he was only 24 years old. It is considered one of his best works and cost $104 million.
The painting was first sold for $30,000 in 1950. It is believed that the price has become so high merely because of the artist, not necessarily the importance of the painting itself.
7. L'Incomparable Diamond Necklace
Price tag: $55 million
Location: It was initially found in Mbuji Mayi, Democratic Republic of Congo. It is now owned by the Mouawad family, who lives in Bahrain.
This is the world's most expensive diamond necklace. It is made of primarily 407.48-carat yellow diamond suspended by white diamonds and includes 90 white diamonds weighing in at 230 carats. This diamond from the necklace was discovered by a girl in the Congo about 30 years ago.
The necklace also has 18-karat rose gold branchlets, boasts about 91 diamonds, and has the world's biggest (and most flawless) diamond. The necklace was crafted and designed by Mouawad's skilled artisans, and Pascal Mouawad now owns it.
This necklace has a long backstory. The flawless yellow diamond was first found in the rubble by a girl from the Congo. Its beauty and worth were initially not seen. Eventually, the diamond fell into the hands of Marvin Samuels, who supervised and cut the stone for several years.
The necklace was then exhibited at various museums, including the Smithsonian Institute. The Mouawad family has been in the jewellery business for over a century now, and their collection of diamonds is magnificent.
8. 1963 Ferrari GTO
Price tag: $52 million
Location: Unknown since the car was sold privately.
The world is full of crazy expensive cars, but the 1963 Ferrari GTO has been dubbed the world's most expensive car. An anonymous buyer bought the car, and the seller was Paul Pappalardo, who was a creative patent attorney.
It was a private transaction. 39 GTOs have been manufactured, so what is so special about this one? Well, this 1963 Ferrari GTO was driven by Jean Guichet in 1963 when he won the Tour de France road race.
9. Bugatti La Voiture Noire
Price tag: $19 million
Location: Unknown as it is a mystery buyer
Another car on the list. These beasts are expensive for your average person, but hows about a $19,000,000 car? This Bugatti has one of the highest price tags the world has ever seen in the world of cars. It is owned by a mystery buyer.
The car was built to celebrate the 110-year anniversary of Bugatti and is a homage to the original "la Voiture Noire." The name directly translates to "the black car," and it was first driven by Jean Bugatti.
However, Bugatti hid the original just before WW2, and that car is said to cost about $100,000,000 should it ever emerge again.
10. Crystal Piano
Price tag: $3.2 million dollars
A crystal piano is exactly what it sounds like; an instrument made entirely of crystals. This is the most expensive musical instrument in the entire world. The piano is 6,1" and is made of industrial-grade acrylic.
Kawai launched this CR-1M Crystal Grand Piano. The legs, lid, and casework are all made from industrial-grade acrylic to show the inner workings of this beautiful instrument. The company has only made 5 of its kind and allows buyers to customise their piano fully.
This piano is around 30% heavier than other similar-sized pianos. The company designed the first transparent instrument in 1973.
Strange Expensive Things People Have Paid for
There are some other really odd things that people have also paid tons of money for, and we are not sure why they were willing to spend so much or why some of these things were needed. But hey, if you have the money, why not go crazy?
The following are some real items that people have thousands, even millions, for:
Magnetic floating bed
Ever heard of a magnetic floating bed? Well, it will only cost you around 1.6 million USD. The owner claims that the bed took over seven years to complete. The bed can hold up to 2000 pounds and floats about 1.2 feet above the ground.
Gold-plated Bugatti Veyron
This car is a beast and looks like an absolute weapon. It can go from 0-100 in 2.8 seconds. You hardly even see it; that's how fast it goes. Flo Rida and various middle-eastern billionaires own the car. It costs 10 million USD.
A dead shark
This piece of art consisting of a preserved tiger shark was done by Damien Hirst and was first known as "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living". An anonymous financial wizard from the hedge fund industry is the buyer of this one.
How can a dead shark cost that much? Well, it just can. And somebody has happily paid for it!
The artwork consists of a dead tiger shark floating in a tank full of formaldehyde. It costs 12 million USD.
Diamond Panther Bracelet
Jewellery costs a lot of money in general, but what about wearing a bracelet worth 12.4 million USD on your wrist? This tiny object costs more money than most wealthy people's homes.
This bracelet was made in 1952 for Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, and an elegant American socialite. It was sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2010 for triple its estimated price.
Feather of Huia Bird
Now, this is a bit of a weird one. The feather of a bird sold for thousands, and it is not even a pretty feather. The feather is actually that of a Huia Bird, which is now extinct. An anonymous bidder bought the feather for more than $6,000.
'Rhein II' (photograph)
Art and photographs always come at a high price tag. Rhein II was made in 1991 by German visual artist Andreas Gursky. It sold for 4.3 million USD and is the most expensive photograph ever sold.
So, What is the Most Expensive Thing in the World?
People spend money on the craziest things, and people make the most spectacular items to begin with. It's easy to understand why a gold-crusted necklace, bracelet, or a 27-story building would cost so much.
But, how do people have the money for these wildly expensive things!? Most of these items are very rare and highly exclusive, and no matter how ridiculous they may be, they are a prized possession and give the buyer a lot of status.
All of these items are owned by the uber-rich, not ordinary Americans. I mean, what do you need an expensive diamond-studded phone for? Or a dead animal in a case?
The astronomical price tag of all of these items is enough to make most of us shiver, but at least these objects are pretty and interesting to admire (from afar and miles away from our wallets).
But if you want to live the high life and own all of these snazzy objects, at least you know that all of these do exist. You can almost find anything you can think of these days, and be sure to pay a boatload for it!