The Weirdest Things Millionaires Spend Their Money On
From strange luxury items to their fourth house—when you're a millionaire, you can spend your money on just about whatever you'd like. Here are some of the weirdest things that millionaires have chosen to spend their small fortune on.
A Preserved Shark
Either hedge fund manager Steve Cohen had watched Jaws (1975) too many times, or he had dreams of becoming an ichthyologist that were dashed at a young age. Purchasing a dead tiger shark, fully preserved in a 14-foot tank in 2004, was certainly very strange. What is the cost of preserving a probable cast member of Jaws? Between $8 and $12 million.
Voksy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
A Photograph Of Billy The Kid
You may think you're a Wild West enthusiast, but you're not a William Koch-level enthusiast. In 2011, the third brother of the billionaire duo of Charles and David Koch purchased a photograph of Billy the Kid for a cool $2.3 million. The image is the only known photograph of the legendary outlaw.
Ben Wittick, Wikimedia Commons
One Of The Largest Private Art Deals In History
Millionaires and billionaires are not exactly new to being art aficionados. Still, in September 2015, hedge fund manager Ken Griffin took that to a new level by purchasing two works by Jackson Pollock and William De Kooning for $500 million.
From One Math Genius To Another
Bill Gates is a name that comes to mind when you think of millionaires and billionaires, but did you know he owns a 72-page manuscript by Leonardo Da Vinci? Known as the "Codex Leicester," this manuscript features Da Vinci's writings, drawings, and scribbles—his ideas for future inventions from the 16th century. Gates spent $30 million on the manuscript.
Leonardo da Vinci, Wikimedia Commons
How Many Cars Could A Person Drive Throughout Their Life?
Maybe that's the question that the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, should have asked himself before he spent nearly $5 BILLION on a weird collection of between 5,000 and 7,000 cars, including 600 Rolls Royces, 452 Ferraris, and over 20 Lamborghinis. Again, why? I feel for the Sultan's valet.
Chin Yu Chu, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ghost Detection
No, Lady Gaga won't star in a Ghostbusters movie, but she is terrified of ghosts. This phobia, known as phasmophobia, has led to the singer and actress spending $50,000 on an electromagnetic field meter that allows her to detect ghosts.
Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
A Pet Octopus
We don't know exactly what enjoyment one would get from a pet octopus or whether the feeling is mutual between Nicolas Cage and his pet octopus named "Cool". However, the movie star spent $150,000 on the eight-legged pet, which took up not one but two large aquariums in his apartment in the 1980s.
nicolas genin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The World's Most Expensive Piece Of Furniture
A massive bed? A diamond-encrusted golden bathtub? No, neither of those. Rather, an 18th-century commissioned cabinet adorned with amethyst quartz, agate, and gilded all over. It was made for Henry Somerset, the 3rd Duke of Beaufort, when he was 19. It was purchased in 2004 by Prince Hans Adam II of the tiny European nation of Liechtenstein. The price for this extraordinary piece of craftsmanship? $36 million. Quite the China cabinet...
Government information and communication, Wikimedia Commons
$4 Million Plastic Surgery
Unfortunately, Swiss socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein probably didn't want her plastic surgery expenses to become a cautionary tale of the excesses of going under the knife. But here we are. Wildenstein was awarded $2.5 billion in a divorce from Alec Wildenstein. She spent $4 million on various kinds of plastic surgery.
The New Titanic
Who wants to resurrect a shipwrecked vessel when you could build your own? That's probably what Australian millionaire-politician-businessman Clive Palmer thought when he spent $425 to $567 million on a replica of the Titanic. While not built yet, the Titanic II is slated to be the same as the original one, but crucially, it will have enough lifeboats for everyone this time.
Roderick Eime, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
A Museum All Of His Own
Billionaire telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim spent $800 million on his own art museum. He owns some of the most valuable artwork in the world, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dali, and a huge collection of Rodin sculptures. Named the "Museo Soumaya" after his wife, Slim's museum is six stories high and windowless, with a metallic facade encasing the entire structure. I hope he's got LED lights in there.
OliAzor, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Golden Throne
No, not the one King Charles sits on. Gold toilets cost about $30,000 and have been purchased by people like Turkish President Erdogan, Vladamir Putin, and Saddam Hussein. Oh, yes, and President Donald Trump. His almost-purchase of a $6 million gold toilet from the Guggenheim Museum in New York is infamous. Despite the fully functional toilet, Maurizio Cattelan designed it as ironic art.
MossAlbatross, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Datta Phuge's Golden Shirt
We struggle daily with our fashion choices. Not Indian businessman Datta Phuge. "Honey, how do I look in this golden shirt?" he might have asked his significant other. Made from 14,000 links of 22-carat gold and weighing an incredible 10 pounds, it was valued at $250,000.
James St. John, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Not Leaving Your Hat At Home
Have you ever left home without your favorite hat? Of course, you have. But I'll bet you've never spent £1,000 to have your hat flown to you. Well, U2's Bono did just that, flying his iconic hat (in its own seat, in the cockpit) to Italy from the UK to perform at a benefit for homeless Iraqis. A great thing Bono did, but spending nearly $1,200 to do it? A different way to solve the problem of not having his iconic hat.
Ricardo Stuckert, CC BY 3.0 BR, Wikimedia Commons
Build The Ugliest House You've Ever Seen
Mukesh Ambani is the richest man in India and the fifth-richest person in the world. With more money than Croesus, he apparently needs to fire his architect—for they designed and built a monstrosity in the poorest area of Mumbai. It is 27 stories high and cost $1 billion. It has a large enough garage for 128 cars, a cinema, a ballroom, panic rooms, and the usual trappings of the ultra-wealthy.
Shrishinde333, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nicolas Cage's Felonious Dinosaur Skull
Nicolas Cage is no stranger to extravagance, but his purchase of a dinosaur skull for $276,000 in March 2007 nearly landed him in hot water. You see, the skull was illegally smuggled into the country and sold at auction. Thus, possessing it was a felony. Fortunately, Cage knew none of this and was cleared of wrongdoing. Cage also returned the skull to Mongolia, where it had been smuggled out of. He knows what happens when dinosaur bones come alive.
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