Auctions Showing Rich People Need Some Supervision
When money isn’t just abundant but actively trying to escape sense, auctions reveal a world where logic has long left the building. Diamond-studded pogo sticks, gilded urinals, and paintings of questionable taste fly past hammer after hammer, leaving onlookers blinking.
Collectors, heirs, and eccentric billionaires raise paddles with a seriousness usually reserved for world peace, turning ridiculous items into coveted prizes. Somewhere, an accountant weeps quietly, calculators abandoned, while auctioneers narrate each purchase like a high-stakes thriller, exaggerating the absurdity.
These photos capture moments when wealth met bad judgment, proving that having more money than sense is a full-contact sport. Curiosity, taste, and sanity all fled long ago.
Lennon’s Toilet
Collectors dropped $15,000 on John Lennon’s floral porcelain toilet, proving bathroom relics have fans too.
Rowling’s Chair
Fans of Harry Potter paid $394,000 for the worn oak chair where Rowling first wrote her magical world.
Half-Filled Glass
Wilfredo Prieto’s minimalist glass of water brought €20,000–€60,000, proving ideas outweigh their containers.
Royal Wedding Cake
Stale sugar from a 1937 Windsor wedding cake fetched $29,900, because royalty makes everything priceless.
Jordan’s Shoes
Michael Jordan’s rookie Air Jordans went for $1.47 million, a humble sneaker turned legendary investment.
Manzoni’s Artist Poop
Piero Manzoni’s canned feces changed hands for $300,000, demonstrating that conceptual art can smell like money.
Che Guevara Hair
A strand of Che Guevara’s hair sold for $119,500, capitalism ironically consumes revolutionary relics.
FA Cup Trophy
The original FA Cup trophy sold for $1.03 million, turning early football bling into serious historical currency.
Capote Ashes
Truman Capote’s ashes sold for $45,000, letting a dead author live on in a collector’s cabinet.
Banana Wall
Maurizio Cattelan’s banana taped to a wall sold for $120,000 and later $6.2 million, redefining fruit as art.
Da Vinci Codex
Bill Gates purchased Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester for $30.8 million, because notebooks are priceless if genius owns them.
Koons’ Giant Rabbit
Jeff Koons’ stainless-steel rabbit fetched $91 million, proving absurd art can break world records.
Einstein Notes
Two handwritten notes by Albert Einstein on happiness went for $1.56 million and $250,000, making philosophy expensive.
Hirst’s Shark
Damien Hirst’s formaldehyde tiger shark sold for $8 million, macabre preservation never looked so profitable.
Monroe’s White Dress
The famous subway-grate dress from The Seven Year Itch sold for $4.6 million, sex appeal included.
Titanic Violin
Tragedy got a price tag when Wallace Hartley’s Titanic violin fetched $1.7 million in under ten minutes.
Elvis Hair
$115,000 bought a lock of Elvis Presley’s hair, because owning a piece of rock legend feels essential.
Timberlake Toast
Justin Timberlake’s leftover French toast reached $1,025, demonstrating that even breakfast can become high-stakes memorabilia.
Queen Victoria’s Underwear
Royal bloomers embroidered “VR” went for $16,300, turning Victorian undergarments into luxury collectibles.
Jackson Underwear
Michael Jackson’s allegedly FBI-confiscated underwear hit a $1 million estimate, confirming some fans will pay for literally anything.