Tom Cruise bought Katie Holmes a $20million jet
Actor Tom Cruise went all out when purchasing a $20million Gulfstream jet for his then new wife Katie Holmes as a wedding gift in 2006. This jet was reportedly sent to pick up groceries for Holmes one time, and the couple divorced just six years later.
Elon Musk broke the bank to acquire Twitter
The man who founded PayPal, Tesla and Space X must have not had enough work on his hands in October 2022, as he decided to blow $44billion of his immeasurable wealth on purchasing social media giant Twitter. Critics and tweeters alike wondered how a valuation so large could be justified. However, Musk seemed happy, posting his first Tweet as owner declaring ”the bird is free”.
Crypto king Sina Estavi paid $2.9million for an NFT
At the peak of the NFT, (or non-fungible token) craze, crypto entrepreneur Sina Estavi grabbed headlines in March 2021 with a $2.9m purchase of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s first tweet NFT. However, with the NFT boom lasting only a period of months, reselling efforts have proved futile.
An unamed collector paid over £12,ooo ($15,ooo) for a pair of Queen Victoria’s underpants
Precisely what they plan on doing with them is as unknown as the collector’s identity, but in 2015 at Chippenham Auction House in England, Queen Victoria’s underpants sold for over $15,000. The auctioneer, Richard Edmonds, stated that the clothing was exceptionally well-preserved. He accurately dated the underwear to the late 1890s based on waistline measurements.
An online casino paid $25,000 for William Shatner’s kidney stone
When Captain Kirk star William Shatner passed a kidney stone in 2016, online casino company Golden Palace couldn’t pass up the opportunity to own it. The bizarre sale makes more sense when you know this was all in aid to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, a charity close to Shatner’s heart. The $25,000 donated will help build homes for the needy.
Bono bought his favorite hat a $1500 plane ticket
For U2 frontman Bono, a $1,500 plane ticket is a mere speck considering his estimated $700million fortune. However, it’s a significant amount spent to rescue his favorite hat. During a charity concert in Italy in 2003, Bono discovered he had left his beloved trilby hat in London. Rather than proceeding without it, he purchased a first-class ticket for his hat to join him.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West paid $1million for a refrigerator
The now-divorced power couple, Kim and Kanye, spared no expense when deciding how to keep their champagne bottles chilled. When it came time to deck out their brand new Bel Air mansion, they plumped for a Swarovski crystal covered refrigerator estimated to have cost an eye watering $1million.
Socialite Tamara Eccleston takes a bath in a $1million tub
In 2011, Tamara Ecclestone, a model and socialite, made a lavish purchase of a solid crystal bathtub. The tub’s crystal was sourced from the Amazon, and it was so heavy that her bathroom floor needed reinforcement. Designed by the luxury Italian company Baldi Home Jewels, the bathtub was customized with gold taps and diamonds.
Kim Basinger lost it all trying to build a tourist town
In 1988, actress Kim Basinger spent $20 million on a significant portion of private land in Braselton, Georgia, with the aim of transforming it into tourist destination. However, her efforts didn’t yield success, and in 1993, she declared bankruptcy, ultimately selling the land for just $1 million.
Logan Paul paid $5.275million for a Pokémon card
Youtuber Logan Paul made headlines on April 2, 2022, when it was revealed that he had shattered the record for the priciest Pokémon trading card sold in a private transaction. The coveted PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card cost him a staggering $5,275,000. He did get to announce it live at Wrestlemania 38 though, which is pretty cool.