What’s on your holiday shopping list? I’m guessing it’s not a $3.5 million Yayoi Kusama painting or a $4.75 million David Hammons piece. But that’s what the rich were buying at Art Basel, the annual prestigious art fair that wrapped in early December in Miami Beach.
When I lived in Miami for a few years I couldn’t help but fall victim to the city’s flashy allure. Every day felt like brushing shoulders with model-like people straight out of a Hollywood movie (or reality show). So I saved for months, survived on Trader Joe’s $3 frozen meals and finally decided to splurge $3,000 on my first designer handbag. When in Rome, right?
I gingerly walked into the Hermès store in the Design District, a glossy four-story temple of luxury. Frugal me justified the choice because Hermès bags supposedly hold high resale value. Stepping out of the elevator, I spotted two sales associates — a man and a woman — talking to each other. I took a deep breath and mustered the words, “Do you have the bucket bag?”
The woman paused, exchanged a glance with her colleague, and replied, “No.” She softened slightly when I mentioned I lived in Miami. Feeling hopeful, I asked, “Could you let me know if one comes in stock?” She took my number, but when I tried to specify color choices, the man cut me off with a dry laugh and a heavy French accent: “No, no, no, no, no — don’t be greedy.” I changed my mind and left.
The uber-rich have long since moved past pricey purses, and this year they dropped quite a bundle on some notably extravagant items. Here are a few of the wildest things that were purchased — and proposed — in 2024.
The $6.2 million banana
In late November, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun placed the winning bid on a banana taped to a wall at Sotheby's contemporary art museum: $5.2 million, plus another $1 million in auction-house fees. The banana had been purchased from a fruit stand in New York City for a mere 35 cents.
It's not the first banana-as-art that sold for a tidy sum. Previous ones netted $120,000 and $150,000 for the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, known for critiquing the art market’s absurdity while making a fortune from it.
Sun has been known to lighten his wallet before. He once bid $4.57 million for a dinner with Warren Buffet to try to convert him into a crypto advocate. After Donald Trump won a second term, Sun invested $30 million in World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform the president-elect helped launch this year.
Sun followed up his banana buy with a video on X of himself eating it. “The taste is naturally different from an ordinary one," he said.
Time is money. So are these watches.
JAY-Z, the 24-time Grammy winner and longtime watch collector, debuted his $350,000 Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon in August at Fanatics Fest in New York City. Created by Jacob & Co., the watch draws inspiration from the Bugatti supercar, boasts 578 hand-assembled parts and features a miniature engine that moves when wound.
JAY-Z has been a client of Jacob & Co. for 25 years, a relationship that secured him a spot at the front of the line for the exclusive timepiece. It has an inclined tourbillon, a feature aimed at improving accuracy by counteracting gravity, which adds to its rarity in the watch world. It's a statement piece for collectors who can afford it. You’re essentially wearing an apartment on your wrist.
Not impressed? Former NFL great Tom Brady sold $4.6 million worth of watches at a Sotheby's auction this month. The "GOAT Collection" included a rare Rolex Daytona Paul Newman "John Player Special" watch from 1969 that went for $1.1 million.
Virgin Galactic’s $600k tickets to space
For $600,000, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic offers the ultimate adventure: a trip to space. Passengers experience weightlessness and see Earth from the perspective of astronauts — a blue marble floating in the void.
The journey, initially priced at $450,000, includes pre-flight training and luxury accommodations. Its website bills it as a life-changing experience. The company is facing problems posting profit and the next flight has been postponed to 2026, but Virgin Galactic has already sold over 800 tickets. Was it the price hike that held me back from buying one? Sure, let’s go with that.
Mukesh Ambani’s $100M private jet
Indian billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani — the richest person in Asia — bought a Boeing 737 Max 9 and not just for transportation. It’s a flying palace, customized for one of the world’s wealthiest men. The $100 million jet includes a private suite, entertainment lounge and office. It also boasts noise-canceling tech, high-speed internet and automated controls. For Ambani, it’s the ultimate way to travel in style this holiday season.
But even with that price tag, it may not be the fanciest: The most luxurious private jet costs around $500 million and is owned by Saudi Arabia’s prince and businessman Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, according to the Times of India.
$270 nachos at the Miami Grand Prix
Finally, something less expensive — and tastier? — than banana art. At Miami’s star-studded Formula 1 Grand Prix this spring, the food menu went viral for its jaw-dropping prices. We're not talking $6 hot dogs at Yankee Stadium. This menu offered $270 nachos with black truffles and Wagyu beef, $280 lobster rolls, a $12,000 bottle of Clase Azul Ultra tequila and a $560 bottle of Tito's vodka. We're not sure how much the actual race tickets cost.
Some fans argued the premium ingredients and exclusive setting justified the cost of the food. Plus, for an extra $400 you could add an ounce of caviar to your item of choice!
Donald Trump’s $2T "Iron Dome"
As Trump stumped, he repeatedly proposed an "American Iron Dome" aimed at defending U.S. airspace from missiles and drones and inspired by a similar system in Israel. The plan would cost about $2.5 trillion dollars, national security analyst Joseph Cirincione estimated. That's over three times the country’s projected 2025 military budget, leaving us to wonder how many taxpayers are on board with footing the bill.
Not to worry. Trump offers options for smaller budgets: Those who donate at least $1 million to his inauguration or raise $2 million for it can have dinner with wife Melania or J.D. Vance the night before the Jan. 20 swearing-in.
After all that, maybe I should revise my holiday wish list. To keep it simple: a banana from a New York fruit stand or nachos from Dos Toros. Decisions, decisions.
