Nothing drives home the fact that information is a commodity in this day and age like a survey of the world’s most expensive e-books. For example, one such book is an apparently untitled book available through DailyVariance.com which to improve its purchaser’s poker skills so much that it pays for its $1,850 price tag. In fact, the authors rely on their customers’ own greed to keep the book from being distributed once their DRM is inevitably cracked. After all, poker secrets are no good when they’re no longer secrets.

But $1,850 is a drop in the bucket compared to the world’s most expensive e-book. “Nuclear Energy,” available through Amazon on their Kindle e-book reader, comprises three volumes of “Energy Technologies” and is intended for use by scientists, engineers and students (yeah, right) who need a reference for all the technologies necessary to harness and use nuclear energy.

So how much is this essential—for anyone who wants to build a nuclear power plant, at least—e-book? The print copy costs $7,790. Luckily for Kindle users, the 602-page e-book costs 20% less at $6,232! I know I’m excited—aren’t you?

If you think your cell phone bill is high, try moving to New Zealand. According to a recent survey by the Kiwis’ Commerce Commission, New Zealanders are paying for some of the most expensive cell phone plans in the world.

Due to a network duopoly between service providers Vodafone and Telecom, the typical New Zealander pays between 23% and 46% more than the average price of a cell phone plan in OECD member countries (including the US, UK and Australia, among others).

In fact, Telecom’s Flexi Anytime plan is the most expensive mobile phone plan of any member country—which may just make it the most expensive cell phone plan in the world—at 177% of the average. Users of this plan can expect to pay 189.50 NZD (about $102 US) for their first 450 minutes. Compare this to the $39.99 price of the average 450-minute plan in the US.

The Commerce Commission does warn, however, that their report should only be taken as an indicator as it doesn’t include several recently introduced budget plans.

When Italian Formula One mogul Flavio Briatore and designer Angelo Galasso partnered up to create Billionaire Italian Couture, the “first international couture line exclusively for men” (according to their website), nobody could have foreseen this—the world’s most expensive umbrella.

Made of high quality and, shockingly, water resistant crocodile skin, this umbrella will certainly help you stand out in a crowd. Just to make the umbrella more exclusive, Briatore and Galasso have made sure that each one is full of individual details. Best of all, the crocodile skin most likely guarantees that the umbrella won’t turn inside out on a windy day.

The most expensive umbrella in the world is available at Billionaire Couture’s flagship store in London at a price of $50,000. For a price like that, it ought to come with a tracking device in case you leave it in the theatre.

Remember, ladies, the Billionaire Couture Umbrella is exclusively for men.

You’ve probably spent hours in frustration trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube. Maybe you’ve even solved it a few times. Maybe you’ve even figured out how to solve the thing consistently. Wouldn’t you feel smarter, though, if you solved the most expensive Rubik’s Cube in the world?

Yeah, I thought so.

The Masterpiece Cube, created by Fred Cueller of Diamond Cutters International for the 15th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube in 1995, is a fully functioning Rubik’s Cube with one minor difference—it’s made with 185 carats of precious gems invisibly set in 18-karat gold. In its solved state, the cube features a different type of gem on each side—including 22.5 karats of amethyst, 34 karats of rubies and 34 karats of emeralds.

The world’s most expensive Rubik’s Cube is estimated to be worth $1.5 million. It isn’t currently on display, but is occasionally shown off to lucky observers.

‘Tis the season the empty your wallet—as if it wasn’t empty enough already. Despite any global economic crises or whatnot, this year marks the unveiling of yet another world’s most expensive Christmas tree.
Outdoing last year’s tree, a million-dollar Soo Kee Jewellery masterpiece displayed at the Bugis Junction shopping mall in Singapore, Ginza Tanaka’s 24k gold [...]

We all know that some dog owners are a bit too attached to attached to their canine companions—bringing them to family gatherings, restaurants or even that unexpected visit to your place. So what happens when a person like that also happens to be a surgeon who can afford to drop nearly $400,000 on a whim? [...]

The world’s most expensive cake may look tasty, but was it? If this glitzy wedding cake’s creators are to be believed, no one ever knew.
Unveiled in 2006 at the Luxury Bridal Show on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the expensive cake was created by cake designers Nahid La Patisserie Artistique along with jewelers Mimi So. [...]

If you’re one of the richest of the rich, your kitchen is no doubt full of expensive appliances for all your culinary needs—and that’s just the one you use to make your snacks. Unfortunately for you, it’s not yet complete if you don’t have the world’s most expensive refrigerator.
Northland, a 100-year-old provider of custom refrigerators, [...]

We’ve already told you about the world’s most expensive bicycle, but what if you’re only in the market for wheels? Well, you’re covered as well now that Lew Racing has produced the world’s most expensive bicycle wheels.

Lew Racing proudly trumpets their Pro VT-1 as “the strongest 880 gram wheel set in the world PERIOD.” The [...]

Based on the military’s HMMWV, or Humvee, the Hummer brand proved popular in the States. In the heyday of Hummer fever, it not only invaded the links but also produced a pricey golf cart. That’s right; the favored gas guzzler of football players everywhere is also the world’s most expensive golf cart.
Licensed by General Motors, [...]

Broadway theatre has its roots in the very end of the 18th century, when New York’s first theatre companies were formed. Nowadays, Broadway audiences can expect to see a mixture of well known television and movie stars and stage actors who only play bit parts outside of theatre. Considering the salaries commanded by film actors, [...]

If you think rich people like to waste their money, then I promise that the following won’t dispel that belief. After all, what could be a bigger waste of money than giving your baby a diamond-studded anything?
The world’s most expensive pacifier features a silicone nipple sporting over 278 pave cut diamonds totaling 3 carats. The [...]

You may have heard recently that Victoria’s Secret has recently been displaying the world’s most expensive bra. It’s not true. In fact, there are several bras that we know of that were more expensive than that one, all products of Victoria’s Secret.
Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra
$5 million
Modeled by Brazil’s Adriana Lima, the bra features [...]

A multimillion dollar purchase by BankRate, a financial information site, has just made one savvy blogger the owner of the most expensive blog in the world.
Johns Wu, founder and sole employee of Bankaholic, has been paid $12.4 million for his financial blog and may receive up to an additional $2.5 million over the next year. [...]

How much would you be willing to fork over for a subscription to a magazine about quantitative finances? Forget the ten to twenty dollars you’d pay for a subscription to Maxim, Cosmo or Rolling Stone. Quantitative analysts who want to keep up to date in their chosen profession may need to pay up to nearly [...]

Wines made in the Bordeaux region of France have a wide range of quality, from table wine to some of the most expensive wines in the world. Of course, fine wine doesn’t just fall out of the sky—which is where the world’s most expensive grapes come in.

Called Premier Grand Cru—the “best of the first growth”—these [...]

If you’ve ever wondered what the most expensive desk in the world looks like, you need look no further. The unique desk pictured below commands a six figure price tag and lets you know that the person sitting behind it boasts a few more figures in their income.

Created by Parnian Furniture Design & Manufacturing of [...]

Are you a Ferrari enthusiast? Do you think your kid should get an early start on his or her own addiction to luxury sports cars? Well, you’re in luck. FAO Schwarz and Neiman Marcus had someone just like you in mind when they sold the most expensive go-kart in the world.

This stunningly accurate replica of [...]

If you’re the kind of guy who manages to cut himself with a safety razor, the world’s most expensive razor is not for you. If you have steady hands, an appreciation of fine craftsmanship and the kind of budget that lets you buy a $30,000 razor, though, then you may want to take a look [...]

Anyone who’s ever read anything about US military spending shouldn’t be surprised that the world’s most expensive aircraft was a Department of Defense project.

Created as part of a secret project in the 1980s, the expensive plane is a design executed with the Soviet Union in mind. The Northrop Grumman ATB (Advanced Technology Bomber) [...]

1959 No. 1 Barbie
The first Barbie dolls were introduced by Mattel, Inc. in 1959. Produced in Japan, their clothing was hand-stitched by home workers. Creator Ruth Handler based them on a German doll called Bild Lilli, which was itself based on a comic strip character. Since then, of course, the Barbie doll has become a [...]

In 1966, a twenty-something named Buster Warenski decided that he’d like to make his own knife. Forty years later, he is considered one of the greatest knife makers of the last century. At the age of thirty, he became one of the handful of knife makers to join the Knifemakers Guild. He ended up serving [...]

Car insurance can be an expensive prospect for automobile owners. If you think you’re paying too much, though, maybe you should compare your insurance rates to those of the most expensive car insurance in the world.
In 2005, New Jersey had the most expensive auto insurance in the nation. The average insurance expenditure, at the time, [...]

(Image via The German Car Blog.)
One of the world’s most prestigious car auctions has produced some very impressive figures this year. Part of the famed Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance, Gooding & Company’s auction has set several world records since its inception in 1990. Now it has hosted the auction of the most expensive car ever [...]

Cigar tobacco is grown in many places throughout the Americas and Caribbean, but certain cigars manufactured in Cuba are widely considered the best cigars in the world. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. As expensive cigars are symbols of wealth and success, the world’s most expensive cigars may hold far more value than their [...]