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While these books aren’t made of gold nor decorated with diamonds, they are worth millions. Several individuals have gotten their hands on some of these treasures in exchange for a couple of million dollars. To many, these books are simply priceless.
Christie’s, the art business and fine arts auction house, has been one of the main players in the exchange of these unglamorous yet highly-valued treasures. The following five books are known to be the most expensive books in the world. Perhaps they are the final piece in your mahogany library, or simply a book to get lost in while enjoying a Louixs.
5 - First Folio, by William Shakespeare – $6 million
It was bought in 2001 for a little over $6 million by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen at Christie’s New York. Its original price was a pound, or three if you wanted it adorned or bound in leather. Although there were originally 750 copies, there are only about 228 left in existence. Just wait and see what other Microsoft executive has paid millions for another book in this list.
4 – The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer – $7.5 million
Sold at Christie’s in London in 1998. Of the dozen known copies of the 1477 first edition, this was the last to be held privately, and was originally purchased for £6 by the first Earl Fitzwiliam at the sale of John Radcliffe’s library at Christie’s in 1776.
3 – Birds of America, by James Audubon – $11.5 million
In 2000, Christie’s auctioned off a copy (one of only 119 known complete copies in the world) for $8,802,500. Ten years later, another complete first edition was sold at London at Sotheby’s for about $11.5 million.
2 – The Gospels of Henry the Lion, Order of Saint Benedict – $11.7 million
It was originally commissioned by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, for the altar of the Virgin Mary at the Brunswick Cathedral, this gospel book was purchased by the German government at Sotheby’s of London in 1983 for about $11.7 million (at the time). The book has 266 pages, 50 full-page illustrations. It is considered a masterpiece of the 12th century Romanesque illuminated manuscript.
(Drumroll…)
1 - The Codex Leicester, by Leonardo da Vinci – $30.8 million
It is the most famous of da Vinci’s scientific journals. The 72-page notebook is filled with the great thinker’s handwritten ponderings and theories on everything from fossils to what makes the moon glow. The manuscript was first purchased in 1717 by Thomas Coke, who later became the Earl of Leicester. In 1994, Bill Gates got his hands on the journal at an auction for $30,800,000, making it the most expensive book ever purchased. Gates clearly shared such wealth, as he had the book scanned and turned into a screensaver distributed with Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.
(Via The Atlantic)
What better way to have a relaxing evening enjoying your #2 Torpedo by Montecristo than to sink into a 24 carat gold Arcaro Martini designed Jacuzzi tub?!
Italian designers, Giacomo Arcaro and Roberto Martini, assembled the most luxurious spa experience for you and 5 guests, if you are located in the UAE that is.
The tubs are completely hand-made with either white or black eco-friendly leather exhibiting quilted Swarovski detail inserts and the consumer’s choice of yellow or antique gold interior.
There are numerous lavish characteristics separating this Jacuzzi from the rest in its class. To name a few:
- Ozone water purification system- to settle any questions about hot tub hygiene
- Aquaserene- soothing sound of flowing water
- Audio system with sub woofers
- Custom massage- to accommodate people of all heights and pressure needs
- Aromatherapy
- Iphone charger outlets
- Pillow falls- flowing warm water onto the necks and shoulders
If those features don’t sell you on this exquisite patio décor then maybe the fact that it comes with a matching gold remote control to direct assistance within 24 hours anywhere around the world, will seal the deal. Also, a lifetime Platinum Elite Structure and 5 year electrical and hydraulic parts and 2 years for outside case warranties are included with the purchase of this magnificent spa.
Swiss watch brand Hubolt, founded in 1980 by Carol Crocco, plans to release its most futuristic piece March 2012 as part of the “Confrerie” exclusive watch collection. This ultramodern time-piece was based on Mathias Buttet’s original master mind watch, La Clef du Temps, which is meant to remind admirers of the Predator.
Translating to mean, “key of time,” La Clé du Temps gives its owner the power to speed time up or slow it down. In the upper right hand corner is the attention grabbing hours and minutes dial. The opposite corner of the face holds the power reserve indicator, which looks as though it holds approximately five days worth of power.
The characteristic that separates this watch from the rest in its class is the third dial which is located on the left side of the face. Here the user can control whether the speed of the time be sped up or slowed down. At any time when normal speed is wished be back on the clock, simply flip the switch. This watch has the capability to retain current time even when its setting is ridiculously fast or turtle pace.
With its matte black finish and glowing electric green accents, this watch is sure to impress even the most elite of watch connoisseurs. Its exact price remains unknown but it is rumored that this watch will sell in the upper of six figures.
Check out the rest of Hublot’s watch collections here.
The Retro Especiale just started to ship in late September, which makes this a good time to review the new line. It is comprised of a Honduran-grown Connecticut-seed wrapper with dual Nicaraguan and Mexican binders around filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper, according to a press release, was specifically cultivated to allow “each of the cigar’s components to enjoy equal bearing on the overall taste of the cigar,” rather than having any one part dominate.
Packaged in attractive art deco wooden boxes that were inspired by an antique humidor found at the El Credito factory, Retro Especiale is available in four sizes: Taino (7 x 52), Habanero (6 x 52), Cubano (6.5 x 58), and Club (5.75 x 47). Each carries an MSRP between $7 and $8.15.
The Club has faint pre-light notes and a light exterior leaf that’s far from intimidating. Despite its golden hue, though, General Cigar says “the blend is brash in its full flavor and engages the entire palate.” That’s certainly true upon first light, where the cigar has a powerful, somewhat salty taste that’s characterized by dry wood.
The profile becomes much less abrasive after only a few puffs. Core flavors like peanut, cedar, cream, black coffee, and citrus emerge. The result is a more balanced cigar that stands firmly in the medium- to full-bodied range. Each puff produces large volumes of smoke, and the resting smoke is aromatic and sweet.
The Club is $175 per 25-count box.
(Via StogieGuys…)
Lawmakers in Austin, Texas, took steps last Thursday to extend the temporary burn ban passed there in April into an injunction that would permanently eliminate smoking in the city’s parks and some of its golf courses.
The Austin City Council unanimously passed a resolution asking City Manager Marc Ott to draft an ordinance that prohibits smoking in the city’s Parks and Recreation sites, which includes 251 parks, public pools and some golf courses. For Ott’s draft to become a law, though, the Parks and Recreation Department must first approve and amend it, and City Council must then vote to adopt the final document.
City park smoking bans are not that unusual (534 cities, 29 of which are in Texas, already have smoke-free parks), but what could distinguish Austin’s ban from those in other cities is it would be the first to stem from a burn ban.
Travis County, where Austin is located, has been enduring terrible drought conditions since last year and has been under a burn ban since December 14, 2010, according to the county Fire Marshal’s office. Essentially, the burn ban prohibits any combustible material—fireworks, barbecues, cigarettes and cigars—that could spark a forest fire from being used within the city’s Park and Recreation sites.
The seemingly dubious manner in which a precautionary burn order may evolve into a permanent smoking ban has caught the eye of smoking ban opponents.
According to impactnews.com, a representative from the Austin Golf Advisory Group named Delano Womack addressed the Council on Thursday to explain that cigar smoking often takes place on a golf course. While Council members did not immediately strike golf courses from the resolution, a few agreed that they may fall into some sort of middle ground, and so a note was added that ensured the Golf Advisory Group would be able to look over any wording associated with golf courses in Ott’s draft.
Glynn Loope, executive director of the Cigar Rights of America, added: “While we sympathize with the situation the weather has caused, creating very dry conditions and hence making smoking or a family barbecue hazardous at times in local parks, it is obvious City Council is using the weather as a cloak for the public health agenda.”
Loope says the CRA also will be sending the Council a copy of an editorial by Dr. Michael Siegel of the Boston University School of Public Health that states there is questionable scientific validity to outdoor smoking bans. The editorial, according to Loope, also states that city park bans like the one Austin is proposing “may actually increase exposure by creating smoke-filled areas near park entrances that cannot be avoided.”
(Via Cigar Aficionado…)
A renowned British boot maker, John Lobb, is all set to launch an expensive pair of men’s slippers for the first time in the Middle East region.
Lobb will roll out its very first collection known as “Spirits of Capitals” in the Dubai Mall (UAE). The footwear will be on display November 2-12th, 2011. The sandals are made of crocodile skin and have already been on a world tour to take shoemaking to another level. They are created to celebrate the essence of 11 major cities of the world and are inspired by each city.
The design teams were given the task to create two pairs of sandals that best represent their city. The teams were sent to different cities like Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Moscow, Beijing, Geneva and Dubai and got many designs like the Balmoral-style Oxfords reminiscent of Paris, hand stitched platform moccasins of Taipei, the Derby low boots of London etc.
Finally a pair that represents the true essence of Dubai was chosen to be the part of the collection. The sandals are inspired by the classic John Lobb William monk shoe. They have a double adjusting strap that ensures complete comfort to the wearer’s foot. The super smooth insole is made of lambskin that gives a feel of ultimate luxury.
The sandals are hand stitched just like John Lobb’s other shoes. The brand has been creating men shoes since 1866. The Spirits of Capitals sandals are available only on order as the brand first takes the correct measurement of your foot and hands over a perfect pair after six to eight months of efforts.
Each pair will cost a whopping $7,350.
(Via BornRich…)
Pete Johnson, the creator of Tatuaje cigars, is continuing his Halloween tradition by releasing the Tatuaje Monster Series, a set of cigars that resemble monsters from cinema packed in dynamic, individually numbered boxes.
The demand created for the cigars by collectors has made the series a commercial success but a “distribution nightmare” for the monster-loving Johnson, who limits the sale of the numbered boxes to 13 retailers chosen by lottery.
This year’s creation is called the Tatuaje Monster Series Wolfman, a torpedo measuring 7 1/2 inches long by 52 ring gauge. It has a rough, uncut foot that exposes the filler tobacco, a first for the Tatuaje brand.
The blend for the cigar is based on Johnson’s Tatuaje Cojonu 2009. Rolled at the Garcia family’s My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, The Wolfman is made with all-Nicaraguan filler and binder tobaccos with a Sumatra Ecuador wrapper. The suggested retail price is $13 per cigar.
“The Monster release is out of control,” Johnson Tweeted on October 5. “Problem is people want the box when really the cigar is the only thing that should be of concern.”
Johnson said that collectors are having a hard time getting the cigars, resulting in complaints. Due to the demand, he now also ships additional Monster Series cigars packed in plain boxes of 10.
The “Unlucky 13″ list of retailers who have received boxes of The Wolfman are:
Havana Connections–Richmond, VA
Casa de Montecristo–Countryside, IL
Rain City Cigars–Seattle, WA
Castro’s Back Room–Nashua, NH
Belle Meade Premium Cigars–Nashville, TN
Holt’s Cigar Company–Philadelphia, PA
Tinder Box #208–Charlotte, NC
Monte’s Pueblo Pipe Shop–Albuquerque,NM
Pheasant Cigars–Las Vegas, NV
Ruben’s Smoke Stack–Hackensack, NJ
Just For Him–Springfield, MO
Good Karma Cigar–Amarillo, TX
Gloucester Street Cigars–Boston, MA
(Via Cigar Aficionado…)
This week, Cigar Rights of America added another much needed full time employee. Mike Copperman has been named Legislative Director for Cigar Rights of America. Previously CRA had only two full-time employees.
Copperman was the longtime owner of the Bethesda Tobacco shop just outside Washington, DC where he spent countless hours educating people on the artisan aspects of premium cigars.
He will initially be concentrating on the CRA federal effort to advance legislation that will exempt premium cigars from regulation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Specifically, he is a noted authority on the health care debate surrounding tobacco, and cigars and will be a leading expert challenging many of pseudo-scientific reasons given for extending smoking bans and tobacco taxes that hurt consumer choice.
In a statement released announcing his appointment Copperman stated, “As a professional tobacconist, it was and is important to respond to the erroneous health claims put forth by those in the field of Tobacco Control, and to do so with sound science, and the use of epidemiological evidence to support our arguments. That effort will be critical to the effort to pass H.R. 1639 and S. 1461.”
FDA Exemption Bill Adds Support in Congress
The push comes as CRA’s central legislative effort continues to add support in Congress. CRA and other pro-cigar associations, continue to lobby members of congress to support the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011″ which would protect cigar consumers and cigar manufacturers from FDA oversight which could cripple the industry.
Since its introduction in April 2011, “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011″ (H.R. 1639) has added 81 cosponsors in the House. The companion bill in the Senate (S. 1461) has three co-sponsors: both Senators from Florida (Democrat Bill Nelson, the lead sponsor, and Republican Marco Rubio) as well as Senator Pat Toomey (Republican) of Pennsylvania.
To further efforts to push for this important legislation, Cigar Rights of America has recently added a webpage to make it easy for cigar smokers to contact their representatives in support of H.R. 1639 and S. 1461. Concerned cigar consumers should contact their elected officials here.
(Via Stogie Guys…)
A month later than expected, the Padrón Family Blend No. 85 is leaving Miami today and heading to cigar stores. The cigar was held up because of the packaging.
Jorge Padrón, president of Padrón Cigars Inc. in Miami, stressed there would be “limited” amounts of the cigar, and that they would be shipping slowly, in batches. “We’re going to start shipping today, but it’s going to take us a while to get them out there. They will go out little by little.” The cigars are made in Nicaragua by two bunchers and two rollers, who are still making cigars.
“They are mostly maduros,” Padrón told Cigar Aficionado, “with some naturals, too.”
The cigars are pressed parejos measuring 5 1/4 inches by 50 gauge ring, with a suggested retail price of $20. Previous incarnations of the Family Reserve (No. 44, No. 45 and last year’s No. 46) have been named for the anniversary year of Padrón Cigars, but this new size is named after the 85th birthday of José Orlando Padrón, who created Padrón Cigars back in 1964 in Miami.
(Via Cigar Aficionado…)
If you’re hungry and in the mood to spend some money, you might be interested in the Oscheriyori lunch box, which just happens to be the world’s most expensive meal box served at the Takashimaya Restaurant in New York. The price tag encompasses the 20cm x 20cm 18K gold plated container, custom artwork, engraving and traditional Japanese sushi rolls and sashimi.
The lunch box is part of a promotion for the New Year, when the item will be made for 3 special customers who order before Tuesday, October 11. If the demand should rise, a draw will take place for one additional winner.
(Via BornRich…)