You probably know that the advent of the web has caused a steady decline in newspaper circulation. Eventually, printed broadsheets may become a thing of the past entirely, relegated to museums and rare book libraries. In that case, certain newspaper copies may command exceedingly high prices for their historical value.

For now, though, it’s the stamps that matter.

The world’s most expensive newspapers is an issue of the Romanian newspaper, Zimbrulu and Vulturulu (The Aurochs and the Eagle), that was mailed to Galati when it was published in 1858. Because of its weight, the newspaper required no less than eight Cap de Bour (Bull Head) stamps. These stamps are now quite rare, quite expensive and quite coveted by philatelists (i.e. stamp collectors).

The priceless paper found its way into the hands of the David Feldman auction house. From there it was auctioned to art collector Joseph Hackmey for €829,500—over $1.3 million in the US! That makes it not only the most expensive newspaper in the world but also one of the most expensive philatelic objects in the world.

In 2006, Royal Caribbean International embarked on an ambitious project called Project Genesis. Their mission was to build the world’s largest cruise ship. Scheduled to sail in fall of 2009, Project Genesis isn’t just the largest ship. It’s also the most expensive cruise ship in the world.

(via True Cruise)

Project Genesis isn’t Royal Caribbean International’s first enormous cruise ship. Their last endeavor, Freedom of the Seas, also broke records with its ability to carry over 4,000 passengers and its weight in excess of 150,000 tons.

Project Genesis will, of course, break both records. The 1,180 foot long ship will weigh 220,000 tons and carry a maximum of 6,400 passengers and 2,100 crew members. The ship is so big, in fact, that it will have a common area, as large as a football field, called Central Park. Central Park’s piazza will even host street performers and live concerts. Additionally, the park will be surrounded by a variety of restaurants, including fine dining at 150 Central Park, Italian cuisine at Giovanni’s Table and steakhouse fare at Royal Caribbean’s own Chops Grille.

The ship will also include a number of bars ranging from wine bars to the impressive Rising Tide bar—an engineering marvel that actually moves through three decks from Central Park to the public spaces below.

Norway’s Aker Yards is handling the construction of the ship. Their price for building the most expensive cruise ship in the world: $1.24 billion!

What could say “I’m rich” better than paying for your morning coffee with a bill pulled from the world’s most expensive money clip?

The Hou Yi money clip, handmade by Chinese craftsman Li Bosheng, is made of 14 karat gold and high-grade sterling silver. The part that really makes this a special money clip, though, is the centerpiece—a hunk of chiseled Hetian jade.

As it is only found in two rivers in Xinjiang, China, this white jade is extremely rare. In fact, it is likely that the supply will be completely depleted within five years. It is considered the most valuable jade in the world and was used by Chinese emperors in their personal seals.

The stone is treated as its pedigree demands. Li Bosheng is known as a master jade craftsman and, as you can see, the final piece does justice to both the artist and the medium.

The most expensive money clip in the world is made to order and requires an estimated 4-5 weeks to be completed. A Hou Yi money clip will set you back $5,600. Of course, in order to make use of it, you’ll have to carry around actual paper money.

Didn’t think of that, did ya?

via bLavish

Just because the hamburger is undoubtedly a signature fast food item, doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself and empty your pockets by tasting one of the world’s most expensive burgers. For those with money to blow, there are some very pricey—and hopefully very tasty—burgers available, and you’ll never guess who has recently come out with the most expensive burger in the world.

The Fleurburger

#4 FleurBurger 5000 - around $75

Are you willing to part with $5,000 for one, though? Renowned chef Hubert Keller thinks you might be. His FleurBurger 5000 is available at Fleur de Lys, a traditional French restaurant located in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. They’ll even mail a certificate to your home just to prove that you ate the world’s most expensive hamburger.

So how do you rationalize a five grand price tag for a hamburger? Well, you could start with the fact that the burger itself is made of Kobe beef. You could, then, move on to the foie gras—that’s duck or goose liver—and black truffles with which the burger is topped. You could even point out that the hamburger is served on a brioche truffle bun and is garnished with a sauce containing even more truffles. Then again, it could be the bottle of Chateau Pétrus 1990 and Ichendorf Brunello stemware, specially imported from Italy, which you get to take home. Yeah, that might be it.

Of course, if you actually want the world’s most expensive burger, rather than the most expensive burger-and-wine combo, then you may have to look elsewhere. The Fleurburger can be ordered by itself for a mere $75.

#3 The Tri-Beef Burger - $125

The Tri-Beef Burger

One expensive burger was created in 2006 at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Florida. Called the Tri-Beef Burger, this is made of a blend of three different kinds of beef—American Prime, Japanese Wagyu and Argentine beef. The hamburger is served with signature Chipotle ketchup made with truffles and champagne. As if the beef isn’t reason enough to purchase this expensive burger, the restaurant’s owners donate $10 of every sale of the $125 burger to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

#2 The Richard Nouveau Burger $175

The Richard Nouveau

The Richard Nouveau is a more recent entry into the most expensive burger hall of fame. Named after the fictional writer of PocketChange, an online newsletter about NYC’s most expensive offerings, the Richard Nouveau is available at the Wall Street Burger Shoppe. The ten-ounce Kobe beef burger is topped with black truffles, seared foie gras, aged Gruyere cheese, wild mushrooms and flakes of gold leaf. Like the Fleurburger, it’s also served on a brioche bun. The burger was created when PocketChange’s Jeremy Abelson suggested that the Burger Shoppe’s co-owner, Heather Tierney, outdo the $120 burger offered by another local eatery. With the Richard Nouveau’s $175 price tag, they’ve clearly done so.

#1 Burger King’s The Burger - about $186

The Burger

Hot on the heels of Wall Street Burger, surprisingly enough, is Burger King. Yes, this monolithic fast food giant has decided to live up to its name by producing the world’s most expensive burger. Called simply “The Burger,” this costly hamburger is available only at a West London branch of the restaurant. Luckily for those who’ll be taking their private jets to Burger King for lunch, The Burger can be pre-ordered by phone so that you needn’t wait.

The world’s most expensive hamburger is made, as usual, with Wagyu beef. It is also decked with white truffles, onion tempura prepared in Cristal champagne and some of Italy’s finest Pata Negra prosciutto. All of this is presented in an Iranian saffron and truffle bun.

The Burger is priced at £95 (about $186 US). While it has been derided as a cheap marketing stunt, proceeds from The Burger will benefit a local charity, Help A London Child. All things considered, I’d say it’s at least an expensive marketing stunt.

Looking at the above image, you might think that this is another one of Dubai’s expensive projects. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the world’s most expensive swimming pool and it’s located at the San Alfonso Del Mar resort in Chile.
The twenty acre pool is as long as three football fields and holds [...]

(via Los Angeles Times)
In a country where watermelons are rare game, they can be a costly commodity. That’s how a 17-pound Japanese watermelon may have recently become the most expensive watermelon in the world.
Densuke watermelons, a type of black watermelon grown only on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, are usually given as gifts due [...]

The world’s most expensive rug may be silk, Persian and four or five hundred years old, but does it really tie the room together? One anonymous buyer seems to think so.
Sold by Christie’s for $4.45 million, the 16th or 17th century Persian rug measures 7’ 5” by 5’ 7”. It was previously owned by Doris [...]

Nothing says luxury like lazing the hours away in a tub that costs more than a lot of houses. Those looking for such a tub, however, have a few more options than they used to. On the one hand, there’s the elegant, decorative tub that with its simple beauty. On the other hand, there’s the [...]

An anonymous party represented by Mitsukoshi Ltd., a company that operates department stores, recently made history by making this statue the most expensive piece of Japanese or Buddhist art ever auctioned.

The twenty-six inch, gold-painted statue, thought to be sculpted by Kamakura-period (1185–1333) artist Unkei, depicts a seated Dainichi Nyorai sun goddess. While it was expected [...]

Calling them airports is an understatement. With over fifteen miles of aviation-related commercial properties surrounding some of the largest airfields, these massive urban sprawls are more properly known as aerotropolises. For simplicity’s sake, though, we’ll just call them the world’s most expensive airports.
Currently, the most expensive airport is Hong Kong International Airport, located on Chek [...]

Increased competition between tabloids, blogs and entertainment shows has become a gold mine for celebrity couples. The struggle to one-up the opposition has led to some phenomenal prices being paid for exclusive photos—the most prized pics being those of celebrity parents cradling their newborn children. These photos have become such a cash cow that some [...]

(via True Sake)
Sake, a word used to refer to any alcoholic beverage in Japan, has come to mean a specific drink in America. While we often call that drink a “rice wine,” the rice fermentation process is closer to the making of beer than wine. Despite that fact, the resulting brew is non-carbonated and tastes [...]

Rococo is a style of art and interior design developed by the French in the 18th century. Rococo-style rooms favored form over function, featuring ornate furniture, elegant tapestries, ornamental mirrors and other lavish trappings. Sold at a Christie’s auction in Philadelphia, the most expensive table in the world is just one example of rococo furniture.
The [...]

They say the clothes make the man. That’s probably less true today than when you could tell a man’s occupation by the hat he wore, but if it’s true of anything then it’s true of the world’s most expensive shirt.
Swiss shirt-making company Eton, celebrating their 80th birthday, created this shirt out of the finest Egyptian [...]

A financially endowed bass player might look at any one of Jens Ritter’s bass guitars, which start at $6,000, and be content. After all, the German luthier’s expensive basses are made with some of the same techniques used to make Stradivarius violins. One customer, however, wasn’t satisfied with one of Ritter’s “normal” guitars and we’re [...]

(via CBS3)
How much would you pay for a Philly cheesesteak? Stephen Starr, owner of Barclay Prime restaurant, hopes your answer is in the triple digits. The latest draw to this upscale restaurant for serious patrons is the aptly-named $100 Cheesesteak.
While Starr admits that the sandwich is a marketing ploy for the Philly-based restaurant, the most [...]

Henry IV was the name of an English king, a French king and even a Holy Roman Emperor in Germany. It’s also the name of the world’s most expensive high chair and, considering the chair’s German creators, was probably named after the latter king.
Sibi, the brand name used by interior architect Wolfgang Sirch of the [...]

London has long been one of the exclusive real estate capitals of the world. In fact, the world’s most expensive house was just recently sold there. Houses aren’t the only expensive properties in London, though. The city also boasts the world’s most expensive apartment—and construction on it hasn’t even been finished!
The four penthouse apartments atop [...]

Freezing wind, icebergs, penguins and a dearth of hotel rooms—these are the things you’ll find in the most expensive cruise destination in the world. Antarctica may not be the most hospitable region in the world, but it’s popular enough to guarantee that cruises destined for the southernmost continent will have passengers aplenty.
The tourist season in [...]

The average person spends roughly a third of their life sleeping. It only makes sense, then, that you should spend as much on your bed as you would on your car, right? If you agree with that, then you might want to check out Charlotte Thomas Bespoke—the most expensive bed sheets in the world.

Not only [...]

Jeff Koons’ “Hanging Heart”
The record for most expensive living artist seems to change hands like a $20 bill. Currently, the record is held by Jeff Koons for his “Hanging Heart” piece, which sold for $21.6 million. Before that, the record belonged to Damien Hirst. His “Lullaby Spring” pill box sold for $19.1 million at Sotheby’s [...]

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, spent $16.5 million dirham ($4.5 million USD) at a recent beauty pageant in the United Arab Emirates’ capital city of Abu Dhabi. The remarkable part is that the acquisitions, like the contestants in the pageant, were camels.

The contest included over 10,000 camels from the [...]

Originally considered ornamental plants, the flowering Macadamia trees have become a valuable crop since they were originally described by John Macadam—after whom they were named—around 1857. The reason for their commercial importance is that two of the nine species of Macadamia produce the most expensive nuts in the world.
While the trees originated in Australia, the [...]

Cognac, like Champagne, is named after the area of France from whence it originates. In order to be considered worthy of the name, the brandy must be produced in the area surrounding the town of Cognac and it must be made at least 90% from three varieties of grapes that grow in the region—Ugni Blanc, [...]

Audiophiles may lament the fact that sometimes the source of their music doesn’t live up to the standards set by their tens of thousands of dollars in audio equipment. Vinyl records and compact discs both degrade rather easily, after all, and many audiophiles still contend that CDs just sound worse. Last year, a Japanese recording [...]