Top 15 Most Luxurious Items Ever Purchased

Were you aware that the highest-priced painting auctioned has a contested origin, or that the most expensive sculpture sold was initially a backup plan for its artist? Explore the most extravagant sales, from rare coins to an astonishingly priced kidney stone, all featured in an episode of The List Show on YouTube.

1. Priciest Manuscript: The Codex Leicester

The priciest manuscript ever auctioned, adjusted for inflation, is The Codex Leicester, a collection of scientific notes and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci. Named after its former owner, Thomas Coke, the Earl of Leicester, it was purchased by Bill Gates in 1994 for over $30 million. Written in Leonardo's distinctive mirror script, the codex offers insight into his innovative thought process.

The Renaissance polymath's curious mind explores intriguing topics in his diary: To explain marine fossils found on mountain peaks, he dismissed contemporary theories that either misclassified them as non-organic or attributed their presence to a single event like the biblical flood. Instead, he proposed a gradual process, akin to sedimentary rock formation, and even hinted at an early understanding of trace fossils. Centuries ahead of his time, Leonardo recognized that creatures had once burrowed through soft seabeds that later transformed into rocky mountain material.

Leonardo also believed the moon was covered in water, but for $30 million, not every idea has to be groundbreaking. 

2. Highest-Priced Painting: Salvator Mundi

Leonardo may also hold the record for the highest-priced painting ever auctioned ... possibly. Salvator Mundi, portraying Jesus Christ with a crystal orb, was sold for a mere £45 in 1958. However, after art dealers Robert Simon and Alexander Parrish acquired it in 2005, they initiated a scholarly reassessment that led many to believe it was an authentic work by Leonardo da Vinci. Critics like Jerry Saltz and Renaissance expert Charles Hope argued it was likely a replica, while others acknowledged Leonardo's potential involvement but noted that extensive restorations had compromised its authenticity. Despite skepticism, the painting fetched $450 million in 2017, including buyer’s premium.

3. Priciest Sculpture: L’homme au doigt

The most expensive sculpture ever sold is Alberto Giacometti’s L’homme au doigt, or “Man Pointing.” Initially conceived with a second figure, the design was simplified, yet its value soared. Years later, billionaire Steve Cohen paid over $140 million for the solitary figure, setting an auction record for sculptures.

4. Highest-Priced Professional Sports Team: The New York Mets

A mere $140 million pales in comparison to another high-profile purchase by Cohen: The New York Mets. His acquisition of the team in 2020 for $2.4 billion set a record as the most expensive purchase of a professional sports franchise.

5. Priciest Empire in History: The Roman Empire

Labeling it as “the most expensive empire” might be an exaggeration, given the rarity of empires being auctioned. However, the Roman Empire was once sold for 25,000 sesterces per soldier. After the Praetorian Guard assassinated Emperor Pertinax, Didius Julianus outbid others to claim the empire, briefly becoming its ruler. His reward was a swift civil war and an eventual execution.

6. Priciest Firearms: George Washington's Pistols

The record for the most expensive auction lot of firearms goes to George Washington’s pair of saddle pistols, which fetched nearly $2 million in 2002. These pistols were once owned by Andrew Jackson, but their origin is particularly notable for Hamilton enthusiasts: They were a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, the beloved French revolutionary.

7. Priciest Undergarments: Queen Victoria's Underwear

Some of the most costly undergarments ever sold once belonged to Queen Victoria. These royal undergarments, embroidered with the initials VR (Victoria Regina), were particularly valued due to their alterations, which linked them to the final years of the Queen’s life when her declining height required tailoring adjustments. The underwear fetched just over $16,000 at auction.

8. Most Expensive Kidney Stone: William Shatner's Kidney Stone

Even the enthusiasm of royal admirers can't match the dedication of Trekkies. This explains why, when William Shatner aimed to fundraise for Habitat for Humanity, his kidney stone sold for $25,000 to GoldenPalace.com. Initially offered $15,000, Shatner negotiated higher, proving the value of self-worth—or at least the worth of a small, hard deposit from his kidneys.

9. Priciest Hair: Elvis Presley's Hair

The most expensive strand of hair ever auctioned sold for an astonishing $115,000 in November 2002 and was attributed to Elvis Presley.

A federal indictment revealed that months later, in April 2003, the same auction house sold additional hair claimed to be Elvis’s. DNA testing cast doubt on its authenticity, leading to a refund. The hair was later resold under questionable claims, resulting in legal consequences. The auction house’s chairman received a 20-month prison sentence for these and other fraudulent activities.

The legitimacy of the November 2002 purchase remains unchallenged, while the April 2003 sale is not definitively proven to be fake—it simply remains disputed.

10. Priciest Beetle: A Stag Beetle

The most expensive beetle ever sold—excluding any Beatles members—was a 3-inch Stag Beetle auctioned in Japan for $89,000.

11. Most Expensive Typewriter: Cormac McCarthy's Typewriter

Some of the oldest typewriters boasted hand-engraved letters; one fetched over $140,000 in 2019, but it’s not the priciest ever sold. That title likely goes to Cormac McCarthy’s light blue Olivetti Lettera 32, which sold for more than $250,000 in 2009. 

12. Priciest Comic Book: Action Comics No. 1

The most expensive comic book ever auctioned was a flawless copy of Action Comics No. 1, marking the first appearance of a character named Superman. It sold for a staggering $3.2 million.

13. Priciest Coin: The 1933 Double Eagle Coin

One of the globe’s most valuable coins had a fascinating journey to auction. It started with Theodore Roosevelt, who, in 1904, criticized U.S. coinage as “artistically hideous.” This critique led to the creation of the $20 double eagle coin, designed by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. With Roosevelt’s backing, the phrase In God We Trust was omitted from the initial design.

Twenty-four “Ultra High Relief” prototypes were minted through a meticulous process, and various gold coins entered circulation. Later, in 1933, Theodore’s distant cousin, President Franklin Roosevelt, issued an executive order to address the banking crisis, requiring citizens to surrender many gold coins to the government.

Although production of the gold double-eagle coins ceased, a few 1933 Double Eagles were smuggled out of the mint. Federal agents located and destroyed nine of the ten known copies, with the remaining one owned by Egypt’s King Farouk, who also collected unusual items like antique razor blades and aspirin bottles. In 1944, Farouk’s representatives secured an export license for the coin, despite it being technically illegal as stolen U.S. mint property.

It’s thought that Farouk’s coin eventually reached Stephen Fenton, a British coin dealer. When he attempted to sell it in New York City in 1996, he was caught in a Secret Service sting operation. The coin was confiscated, and Fenton was arrested.

Following a prolonged legal dispute, it was ruled that the export license implied the U.S. government had agreed to sell the coin and share the profits. For just $20—its face value—the coin was monetized. Including auction fees and the $20 payment, it sold for approximately $7.6 million in 2002, setting a record for the highest auction price of any coin at the time.

This record was later surpassed multiple times, including a $10 million sale for one of the earliest U.S. mint silver dollars, known as the “Flowing Hair” dollar. However, in June 2021, the Double Eagle was auctioned again and fetched $18.9 million.

14. Priciest Stamp: The 1-Cent Magenta

An expensive stamp was also featured at the same auction. An 1856 stamp from British Guiana has broken four sales records over the years, with its value stemming from its rarity and fascinating history.

In 1855, the postmaster of British Guiana awaited a shipment of 50,000 stamps from Great Britain. When only 5,000 arrived, he improvised by using a local newspaper’s press to create limited-edition 1-cent and 4-cent stamps. The 1-cent stamps, used for newspapers, were often discarded, making them exceptionally rare.

Only one 1-cent Magenta stamp has survived, passing through the hands of notable collectors like Philipp de la Rénotière von Ferrar. It also became part of a diplomatic dispute between France and Germany. Sold for $9.5 million in 2014 from the estate of John E. du Pont, it later fetched $8.3 million at a June 2021 auction, retaining its title as the world’s most valuable stamp.

15. Priciest Album: The Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin

The most expensive album in the world, while not as costly as other items on this list, is still noteworthy: The sole copy of the Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was purchased by pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli for $2 million. After Shkreli’s 2017 conviction for securities fraud, the album was reportedly confiscated by federal authorities. Whether they played it remains unknown.