Imagine the joy of possessing boundless wealth, where buying anything your heart desires doesn’t require checking your bank balance, not even when contemplating acquiring the world’s most expensive marvels. But what exactly might those marvels be? From stunning yachts, luxurious supercars, and grand mansions to rare gemstones, priceless artworks, and even outrageously expensive parking spots, these items serve as a testament to humanity’s quest for status, exclusivity, and aesthetic appeal. Come with us on a journey as we delve into the realm of the most unimaginably expensive treasures.
15. Most Expensive Parking Spot – Hong Kong – 1.3 million
A parking spot at the ultra-luxury Mount Nicholson residential development, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Hong Kong sold for an astronomical price $1.3 million (HK$10.2 million) in 2021. How much would you pay for a parking spot?
14. Most expensive dog: A Tibetan Mastiff named “Big Splash” – $1.5 million
Tibetan Mastiffs are one of the oldest dog breeds in the world, and they have a long and storied history, legend has it that both Genghis Khan and Lord Buddha kept them. Back in 2011, a a Chinese coal baron purchased a red Tibetan Mastiff named “Big Splash” or “Hong Dong” for 10 million Chinese yuan (approx. $1.5 million USD), making him the most expensive dog ever sold.
13. Most expensive handbag: Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse – $3.8 million
Designed by Robert Mouawad, a renowned Lebanese jeweler, the $3.8 million Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse is the world’s most expensive handbag, as certified by the Guinness World Records in 2010. Inspired by the Arabian Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales and stories, the heart-shaped purse handcrafted from 18-karat gold and incorporates 4,517 diamonds (105 yellow, 56 pink, and 4,356 colorless) with a total weight of 381.92 carats, took a team of 10 highly skilled artisans a total of 8,800 hours to create.
12. Most expensive rare stamp: British Guiana 1c Magenta – $9.5 million
The most expensive rare stamp is the British Guiana 1 Cent Magenta, was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in 2014 for a record-breaking price of $9.5 million. The stamp, printed in black on magenta paper, features a sailing ship along with the colony’s Latin motto “Damus Petimus Que Vicissim” (We give and expect in return). It is the only known surviving specimen of this stamp, which was issued in 1856 as an emergency measure when a shipment of stamps from England was delayed.
11. Most expensive rare baseball card: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 – $12.6 million
The most expensive rare baseball card is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311, which sold for the record-setting price of $12.6 million by Heritage Auctions in August 2022. The Mantle card is considered to be the “holy grail” of baseball cards, it features a young Mantle in his New York Yankees uniform, and it is graded PSA 9 (mint) by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). It is one of only three PSA 9 copies of the card known to exist.
10. Most expensive wristwatch: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 – $31 million
The most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010, which fetched $31.19 million (31,000,000 CHF) at Christie’s in Geneva on November 9, 2019. This unique timepiece was the first and only Grandmaster Chime in steel, created specifically for the Only Watch charity auction, with proceeds benefiting the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies AMM).
9. Most expensive jewellery: The Pink Star – $71 million
The Pink Star, formerly known as the Steinmetz Pink is a 59.60-carat (11.92 g) internally flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond. Auctioned at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2017, it was sold for US$71.2 million to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, a Hong Kong-based jewelry company, becoming the most expensive gemstone ever sold at auction, securing its place as the most expensive gemstone ever sold at auction.
8. Most expensive car: 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé – $143 million
The most expensive car ever sold is the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, which sold in a private auction run by RM Sotheby’s in May 2022 for an eye-watering €135 million (around $142.9 million) at auction. Named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, this icon of automotive history is an extremely rare car, with only two prototypes ever built.
7. Most expensive artwork: Salvator Mundi – $450 million
This painting by Leonardo da Vinci, depicting Jesus Christ with one hand raised in benediction, was sold for over $450 million at auction in 2017, making it the most expensive painting ever sold.
6. Most expensive domain name – Cars.com – $872 million.
The sale of the domain name Cars.com for $872 million in 2015 was a landmark moment in the digital world. Aquired by Gannett, a media company that owns newspapers such as USA Today, it was the most expensive domain name ever sold at the time, and it remains one of the most expensive domain names ever sold.
5. Most expensive computer: Fujitsu K Computer $1 billion
Designed for high-performance computing and was used for a wide range of scientific and research applications, the estimated cost of developing and building the K Computer was around $1 billion. It was powered by SPARC64 VIIIfx processors and had a peak performance of 10.51 petaflops. It was the world’s fastest supercomputer from 2011 to 2012, and it remained one of the fastest supercomputers in the world until its retirement in 2019.
4. Most expensive private home: Antilia, Mumbai – $1-2 billion
Antilia, also known as the ‘Green Tower of Mumbai,’ is one of the most expensive properties in the world — is owned business tycoon, and the Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited. It has 27 floors, a lavish ballroom, a 50-seat movie theatre, spa and health club, swimming pool, helipad, a six-story car park that can accommodate 168 cars and a terrace with panoramic views of Mumbai. It took about $2 billion to build the entire structure at the time in 2020.
3. Most expensive telescope: Hubble Space Telescope (HST) – $2.1 billion
Launched into orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990, Hubble Space Telescope is the most expensive telescope ever built, costing $2.1 billion. Equipped with 25-foot solar panels for power generation and a 2.4-meter mirror for collecting light from distant celestial objects, the Hubble Space Telescope is a tool for studying stars, galaxies, nebulae, and various astronomical phenomena in the cosmos.
2. Most expensive yacht: History Supreme – $4.8 billion – (nobody has seen it)
Designed by the renowned luxury designer Stuart Huges for Malaysia’s wealthiest individual, Robert Knock, the History Supreme reigns as the world’s most opulent yacht. With a hefty price tag of $4.8 billion, this 100-foot-long superyacht is built out of 10,000 kg of solid gold, the master bedroom features a T-Rex bone statue, a wall made out of meteorite rocks and a 24-carat gold wall aquarium, among a plethora of other opulent features.
1. The most expensive man-made object: The International Space Station – $100 billion
Shockingly, the most expensive thing in the world is out of this world made by humans does not even exist on our planet. According to Guinness World Records, the International Space Station (ISS) cost $100 billion to design and build (some other sources also note that it actually took more than $150 billion), making it the most expensive object ever created. ISS is the largest and most expensive modular space station ever constructed, with NASA expending $4 billion annually for its operation.
