Archive for February, 2009
Feb
28
Posted under
Art Most expensive book
$30.8 million
The Codex Leicester is the most expensive book ever sold. The Codex Leicester is a collection of largely scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci.
Physically, the Codex takes the form of 18 sheets of paper, each folded in half and written on both sides, forming the complete 72-page document. At one time the sheets were bound together, but they are now displayed separately. It was handwritten in Italian by Leonardo, using his characteristic mirror writing, and supported by copious drawings and diagrams.
In 1994 Bill Gates bought it at auction for $30.8 million, making it the most expensive book ever, and renamed it the Codex Leicester. The Codex is put on public display once a year in a different city around the world. In 2004 it was exhibited in the Château de Chambord, and in 2005 in Tokyo. One page was exhibited at the Seattle Museum of Flight’s 2006 exhibit “Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius.” From June to August 2007, the codex will be the centerpiece of a two month exhibition hosted by the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland.
Feb
26
Posted under
Accessories Most expensive diamond
$ 24.3 million
Origin of name
This rare blue diamond of Indian origin that has a recorded history dating back to the late 17th century, eventually came into the possession of the Wittelsbach family in 1722, the German noble family that provided rulers of Bavaria and of the Rhenish Palatinate until the 20th century. Bavaria was ruled for over 700 years by Dukes of the Wittelsbach family, from 1180 to 1918. The name Wittelsbach was taken from the Castle of Wittelsbach, which became the official residence of the Dukes of Bavaria. The diamond gets its name from the Wittelsbach family, in whose possession it remained as a family diamond until the abdication of the last king in 1918.
Feb
24
Posted under
Cars Most expensive wheels
Asanti Wheels AF114 diamond
black with 12,000 diamonds 800 sapphires. 1,100 carats. $1 million U.S. for the set
Feb
23
Posted under
Cars Most Expensive Cars
Bugatti Veyron $1,192,057. This is by far the most expensive street legal car available on the market today. It is the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. It claims to be the fastest car with a top speed of 253 mph+.However, the title for the fastest car goes to the SSC Ultimate Aero which exceed 253 mph pushing this car to 2nd place for the fastest car.
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Feb
18
Posted under
Uncategorized Most expensive yachts
200 million $
At 456 feet this vessel is better described as a cruise liner than a superyacht. Owned by Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Arabian Defence Minister, and son of the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, the Al Salamah has over 80 rooms and requires a crew of around 100 and comes complete with indoor swimming pool, cinema.
That little lot is powered by two 8770 hp MTU diesel engines which give it a top speed of 21.5 knots and was designed and built by the German shipyards HDW and Luerssen. It rather makes you wonder what Prince Aziz’s house is like.
Feb
17
Posted under
Uncategorized Most Expensive House
$500M World Record
La Leopolda
Russian billionaire and owner of the Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, has purchased the world’s most expensive house, worth $500 million, British newspapers reported on Thursday.
Abramovich, 41, bought the La Leopolda villa on the French Riviera in honor of his upcoming marriage to model Daria Zhukova, 25.
The tycoon, who lives in Britain, already owns several impressive properties, including the nearby Chateaux de la Croe estate, as well as others in the exclusive London neighborhood of Knightsbridge, Sussex and in Russia. Former owners of the La Leopolda include Microsoft guru Bill Gates and Fiat mogul Gianni Agnelli.
Feb
17
Posted under
Accessories The world’s most expensive pencil
At $20,800 including GST, this is probably the world’s most expensive pencil. So what do you get for all that money?
An elegantly ribbed cedar wood writing instrument with built-in eraser and sharpener, an 18-carat white gold extender and end-piece plus three diamonds on the cap beneath a count’s coat-of-arms.
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Feb
17
Posted under
Accessories Most Expensive Camera
In this day and age, camera makers are vying for the rank of the best by rendering superlative features that are constantly out doing each other day after day. But here is a camera discovered from a dusty attic that is making news. Called “Daguerreotype,” it is a wooden sliding box camera produced by the Paris company Susse Freres in 1839.
Discovered as part of an inheritance in Germany, the antique piece will allow photography enthusiasts rewrite history. Westlicht, a private photo gallery and auction house in Vienna, plans to auction off this piece of history on May 26. Believed to be the world’s oldest commercially manufactured camera, Westlicht said the Vienna camera has never been restored.
Up to now, experts said that apart from some documents there was no proof that the so-called “Daguerreotype,” a wooden sliding box camera produced by the Paris company Susse Freres in 1839, really existed. Discovered as part of an inheritance in Germany, the antique piece will allow photography enthusiasts rewrite history.
The camera belongs to a US-based scholar and was inherited from his father, a technical photography professor at Munich University. The starting bid is $132,000, but the final price for the 168-year-old gadget is expected to be way past a million euros($1,329,000).
