Million-dollar objects

Could you guess which Marilyn Monroe's object sold for $4.6 million?

Could you have a gold mine right in your own home and not know it? Everyone keeps a vintage concert ticket, a family heirloom, or some collectible tucked away in a drawer somewhere. But imagine finding out that what you think is clutter is actually worth thousands of dollars. A lock of Elvis Presley’s hair was auctioned for over $100,000, a violin from the Titanic brought in $1.7 million, and even a banana taped to a wall reached an astonishing $6.2 million. These unbelievable sales prove that when nostalgia, fame, and history come together, people will pay jaw-dropping money for the strangest objects imaginable.

You grew up listening to Elvis’ songs and watching his movies. You know from the highlights in his life to trivia details only true fans have. The man was larger than life, and so was his hair.

In November of 2002, a lock of Elvis’ hair sold at auction for a staggering $115,000. The hair had been carefully saved by his longtime barber, Homer Gilleland, who worked with Elvis for over 20 years and kept the trimmings in a plastic bag after giving him haircuts before television appearances and movie shoots. In order to prove its authenticity, Elvis’ associate Tom Morgan Jr. and memorabilia expert John Reznikoff both signed an authenticity certificate that backed the auction for which the anonymous avid fan paid thousands of dollars.

Few movie moments are more recognizable than Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate with her iconic white dress blowing up in The Seven Year Itch, the 1955 film_._ Marilyn was a representation of the golden age of movies, which is why items of hers were valued at such a high cost. And the white dress was, probably, the most expensive of them all.

The iconic ivory piece belonged to fellow actress, Singin’ in the Rain star, Debbie Reynolds. Funny enough, she had bought it directly from 20th Century Fox for only $200. Reynolds had spent decades gathering costumes and props from classic movies and hoped to open a dedicated museum. Her project was rejected five times by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and, due to personal debt, she had no other choice but to auction some pieces of her collection. Marilyn’s dress was one of those pieces and was auctioned in 1999 in Los Angeles for no less than $4.6 million dollars.

You’ve learned about the RMS Titanic tragedy growing up, and watched the tragic romance of Jack and Rose in the 1997 movie. More than a century after the sinking, people are still fascinated by this event, and for good reason, considering that we still hear fascinating stories about it.

In 2025, the gold pocket watch belonging to businessman Isidor Straus, co-owner of the Macy’s department stores, sold at auction for an astonishing $2.3 million, setting a new world record for Titanic memorabilia. The previous record had been set just a year earlier in 2024 by a Tiffany & Co. watch gifted to Captain Arthur Rostron of the RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued more than 700 survivors from the icy Atlantic. Three wealthy widows who survived the sinking presented him with the watch as a thank-you for his bravery.

The paintings hanging on your walls have been selected among thousands of pieces, only responding to your personal taste, and that’s because art is subjective. But when you hear that a banana taped to a wall was auctioned and brought in $6.2 million, the conversation takes a fun turn.

Comedian is a duct-taped banana piece of art created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan in 2019, which immediately became the most talked-about artwork in the world. In 2024, the artwork sold at Sotheby’s, New York, for an astonishing $6.2 million to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who later joked he planned to eat the banana himself. The buyer was really paying for a certificate of authenticity and instructions on how to replace the 35-cent-worth banana whenever it rotted. Modern art is not for everyone.

You probably still know the words to plenty of Beatles songs by heart. The Fab Four changed music, fashion, and pop culture forever, and fans have spent decades collecting anything connected to them. Old records, concert posters, sure. But few people expected one of John Lennon’s toilets to become part of history, too.

John Lennon lived in Berkshire, England, from 1969 to 1972, where he recorded part of the Imagine album. But that’s not the only highlight of the apartment. In there, there was also a porcelain toilet, which was handed to his contractor, John Hancock, after the house was remodeled. Instead of getting rid of it, he stored it in a shed for nearly 40 years, and, in 2010, after his death, the unusual piece went up for auction in Liverpool, during the annual Beatles Convention. Organizers were expecting it to sell for $1,300, but instead collected almost $13,000 from an unidentified private overseas investor.

Most people have old notebooks filled with recipes, reminders, or random thoughts. Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, instead, changed the way people understood science and nature. One of his most famous journals, the Codex Leicester, dates back to the early 1500s and contains da Vinci’s sketches and scientific observations. The pages explore everything from astronomy to the movement of water.

In 1994, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates purchased the manuscript at auction for a staggering $30.8 million, making it the most expensive book ever sold at the time. But it wasn’t for his private library. Gates loans the Codex to museums around the world so visitors can see da Vinci’s work up close.

The new millennium was defined by technology, pop style, and boy bands. Justin Timberlake was part of NSYNC, one of the most popular bands at the time, and fans followed him everywhere. In 2000, during an interview at New York radio station Z-100, Timberlake left behind a partially eaten French toast. Most people would have cleared the table, but one clever DJ saw an opportunity.

The leftover toast was auctioned on eBay, where a 19-year-old superfan from Wisconsin paid $1,025 to own it. Over the years, rumors claimed the toast sold for even more on a second auction, but the original auction price remains one of the strangest celebrity purchases ever recorded.

Most people remember Einstein as the wild-haired genius behind the theory of relativity, but one of his most valuable possessions was not a scientific formula at all. It was a simple handwritten note about happiness.

In 1922, while staying at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo during a lecture tour, Einstein received news that he had won the Nobel Prize in Physics. When a courier arrived at his room with a delivery, Einstein realized he had no cash for a tip. Instead, he handed the messenger two signed notes. One of them read: "A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it." Decades later, the message was sold at auction in Jerusalem for an astonishing $1.56 million. The note remained in the courier’s family before being sold by his nephew, proving Einstein’s prediction was right after all.

Chances are, your kids or grandkids have read the worldwide phenomenon, Harry Potter. From the very beginning, the wizard created by English writer J.K. Rowling became an obsession for millions of people around the world. But for Rowling, things weren’t so easy. She was a struggling writer, working on her stories in a small apartment with mismatched secondhand furniture.

One of those chairs, a worn wooden dining chair from the 1930s, became the place where she typed the first two books of the saga. She later painted messages directly onto the piece, including the line: "I wrote Harry Potter while sitting on this chair." Rowling first auctioned the chair in 2002 to raise money for charity; years later, it resurfaced again and was sold at auction in New York for $394,000. The sale included a personal letter from Rowling explaining that the chair was the comfiest she had at the time.

AMERICAN LEGENDS

Founders and Visionaries: 10 Larger-Than-Life Personalities From American History

Image: Jéan Béller

America’s past is full of titanic figures that left a lasting mark on our shared history. But some of these larger-than-life personalities were more than just important names in a history book; they were architects of change and catalysts for progress, true embodiments of the American spirit.

Join us as we unravel the lives and accomplishments of 10 extraordinary individuals who helped shape the course of the nation.

Image: J. Amill Santiago

Thomas Jefferson's contributions to American governance are unparalleled. He was greatly inspired by the writings of John Locke about the social contract, and by many French philosophers of his time that embraced republican virtues. As the main author behind the Declaration of Independence, he clearly articulated the nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.

Image: FDR Presidential Library & Museum, CC BY 2.0

Eleanor Roosevelt singlehandedly redefined the role of the First Lady, using her platform to champion civil rights, women's rights, and human rights on a global scale. After the death of her husband, she served as the first U.S. delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her tireless advocacy earned her worldwide respect and left an enduring legacy that continues to inspire leaders and activists everywhere.

Image: Unseen Histories

Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent approach to civil rights activism galvanized a movement that challenged institutionalized racism and segregation. His "I Have a Dream" speech shook Americans and opened a path for equality and integration in a highly segregated society. Surviving many attacks against his person, he remained adamant about his ideals, which eventually materialized with the signing into law of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Image: Nationaal Archief

Born into a socially progressive Quaker family, Susan B. Anthony dedicated her life to securing women's right to vote, tirelessly campaigning for suffrage and gender equality. Despite being initially ridiculed and slandered for her activism, her efforts paved the way for the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. And, in 1979, she became the first female citizen to appear on U.S. coinage.

Image: Bain News Service

Theodore Roosevelt's larger-than-life persona embodied the spirit of the Progressive Era. Despite being born sickly and suffering regular bouts of asthma during his childhood, he went on to have an adventurous youth and loved to practice many strenuous outdoor sports, like hiking and rowing, to keep himself healthy. As president, he fought against monopolies, expanded national parks, and asserted America's role as a global power through his strong policies.

Image: Kirt Morris

Harriet Tubman's daring escape from slavery and subsequent work as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad made her a symbol of resistance against oppression. During her time as conductor, she managed to rescue around 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends. Later, during the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army and supported the incipient women's suffrage movement.

Image: Florida Memory

John F. Kennedy's presidency symbolized a new era of optimism and ambition in America. But even before turning into politics, he was an extraordinary leader. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and received a Purple Heart for his courage and the daring rescue of fellow sailors after their patrol ship was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. His commitment to civil rights, space exploration, and global diplomacy left an enduring legacy despite his tragically shortened tenure.

Image: Adam Nir

Benjamin Franklin's multifaceted contributions to American society encompassed science, diplomacy, and literature. Born into a working family, he acquired an education with great effort on the part of his family and through voracious reading. From his experiments with electricity to his pivotal role in securing French support during the Revolutionary War, Franklin's wisdom shaped the nation's trajectory.

Image: Gene Herrick for the Associated Press

Rosa Parks's refusal to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ignited the civil rights movement. Her act of defiance against segregation inspired millions and catalyzed significant legislative reforms, but she didn’t stop there. She also collaborated with Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and campaigned for nationwide integration and true equality of opportunities.

Image: Travis Gergen

Walt Disney was a pioneer and creative genius who revolutionized entertainment, exporting the essence of American imagination to every corner of the globe. Interested in arts at a young age, his visionary wit brought to life many beloved characters, as well as dozens of animated classics and theme parks. To this day, his vision and spirit continue to enchant audiences all over the world.