Some of the World’s Most Expensive Stuff

Some of the World's Most Expensive StuffI don’t have a lot of money. I have actually never had a lot of money. I grew up in a middle class family, and while I never wanted for anything or spent a meal without food on the table, I have never been able to spoil myself with nice things. I currently live in a nice apartment, drive a new (yet affordable) car, and can travel a few times a year on my salary. But I do look at price tags, I do pay attention to the price of most things I buy, and I try to save as much as I can.

But there are folks out there who have enough money to buy lavish things. They can afford to own a private jet or a huge house with more rooms than you can fill. They spend eye-popping amounts of money on fancy cars and expensive meals. Whatever the reason these folks have money, you can tell when you’re in the company of someone wealthy. But what else are these folks buying? What kind of television or hotel room do you go for when you can afford the best? Find out as I break down a list of the world’s most expensive things.

PrestigeHD Supreme Rose Edition by Stuart Hughes

This model holds the record for world’s most expensive television. Considering I needed to finance my television when I bought it a few years ago, I can’t imagine what the monthly payment on this would run. The television comes in at just over $2.3 million. Imagine the high definition this thing must produce to be worth half that.! I wonder if this TV makes dinner and washes your clothes as well?

The TV is not expensive because of the image it generates, but rather because it is covered it in 28 kilograms of 18-carat rose gold and 72 diamonds. The TV itself is only 55 inches and was actually just introduced to the market earlier this year. They are limited, of course, and they have yet to close their first deal. However, folks at the Supreme Rose Edition are confident that they will sell out of these soon. There are only three of these available, so you’d better act fast.

Royal Penthouse Suite, Hotel President Wilson in Geneva

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I dropped just under $100 a night for a somewhat decent hotel room. Like most hotels, accommodations included high-speed Internet access, a hot breakfast every morning, and nice comfy beds with big fluffy pillows. But here at the Royal Penthouse Suite, you’d better be prepared to for a night you won’t soon forget. A single night here will run you $65,000.

How big is a room that costs this much a night? Well, my new apartment is just over 1,000 square feet. This hotel room is just over 18,000. I would like for someone to tell me how you could possibly use a hotel room that is the size of eighteen decent apartments. The room is actually an entire floor of this hotel. It has ten rooms, seven bathrooms, and is big enough that you could literally get lost while walking around the room. I feel stupid to call it a room. This is a house in and of itself.

iPhone 3GS Supreme Rose by Stuart Hughes

Remember the guy that produced the world’s most expensive television? Well, he also produced the world’s most expensive cell phone. When I first went to purchase my first Apple iPhone I was shocked to see a price tag over $500. Now, working with upgraded price points, I spend $200 every year and a half or so for the latest iPhone. I’m currently on the iPhone 3GS, which is the model of phone used in the world’s most expensive phone.

This phone was created for a businessman in Australia. It’s 22-carat gold, studded with 53 diamonds. The man who it was created for remains unknown, but the price point is common knowledge. When this phone was delivered in late 2009 the price tag stood at just over $2.97 million.

Since this phone was sold, the same man has asked for a second iPhone to be made that will nearly double in value and will showcase a 7.1 carat diamond. There is no word yet if he is working on this design, but this sure makes me appreciate my cell phones that much more.

1954-55 Mercedes-Benz W196

When I bought my Smart Car last year, I tried to talk them down as much as I could on the final price of the ride. They gave me what I wanted for my trade in, and I ended up getting a few more minimal discounts. I walked away with brand new car with less then five miles on it, and was only set back about $15,000. That price does not quite compare to the world’s most expensive car.

Now, my car is actually made by Mercedes, but it’s not in the same class as this ride. Granted, it is old and should be treated as an antique, but the 1954-55 Mercedes-Benz W196 will run you $24 million. Yes, you read that correctly. One car, designed in simpler times to get you from point A to point B, will cost you a pretty penny.

The car was actually donated by Mercedes to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in the 1980s but was later sold to aid in museum renovations. The car currently belongs to a journalist in Germany and is not for sale. But of course, for that much money how could you turn down an offer? I wonder if the proposed buyer gets a test drive. As a matter of fact, what would insurance for a car like that run a month?

Antilla

How many cars can you fit into your garage? One? Two? Perhaps three or four? Well, if you were the owner of the world’s most expensive home, you could hold 168 cars in your six floor parking garage. This home sits in Mumbai, India, and is the residence of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani. It is twenty-seven stories tall and has a helipad for easy access.

A staff of over six hundred services the house named Antilla. Can you imagine having a payroll of over six hundred people to take care of your house? Every floor has a garden that needs constant attention. So what does a house like cost? Nothing short of $2 billion will get you into a home of this magnitude.

Transmission Audio Ultimate System

When listening to music, playing video games, or watching the latest blockbuster out of Hollywood, you want to have good sound coming through the speakers. Most televisions are built with pretty crappy default speakers. There are even some televisions out there that don’t have speakers at all. It is assumed that when buying a large television, you’re going to spend the extra money on some nice surround sound speakers.

My system is from Klipsch and has two fronts, two rears, and a center channel. They all run through a receiver and produce a killer sound, no matter what’s on my TV. The system retails at just over $4,000 for all of the pieces, and is one that should last a lifetime.

But $4,000 is nothing compared to the Transmission Audio Ultimate System. This system will run you a small fortune. Actually, the small fortune is just for a pair of speakers. To complete this twelve-piece system, you will have to drop $24 million. And along with being expensive, they’re also heavy. The entire system weighs close to five metric tons and is made of solid aluminum.

The system was first released in 2009. Only two sets have been sold so far. One of the two systems was actually sold to the president of the company. But don’t order these and assume that you will be rocking out this weekend. These speakers take at least six months to produce.

This list of expensive things can go on and on. I could talk about the world’s most expensive yacht or the world’s most expensive ring. But I will leave that to you if you wish to explore more of this world’s most expensive treasures.

Next time you go to buy a car or to upgrade your sound system, think about how much you could be spending. And if you have the money to afford any of the things on this list, how about taking me out for lunch? Happy spending, and remember that we can’t take it with us when we go.