14 Weird Things That People Sold for Big Money

Buying a painting and hanging it on the wall is a normal thing. But buying a painting that exists only in the artist’s imagination is weird. You can see exhibits like this at the Museum of Non-Visible Art in New York. Even though you can only enjoy them through the artist’s descriptions and impressions, at least you’ll be sure that you’re buying an original item.

Bright Side has compiled 14 strange things with dubious value, that have actually been sold for a high price.

14. Mess for $4 million

It seems to be the dream of any teenager — to sell the mess in their room. British artist Tracey Emin actually did it. In 1999 she had spent several days in bed when she was deeply depressed due to hardships in her relationships. Later she sold the installation made of trash and leftovers at an auction which she called “My Bed” to Charles Saatchi for $150,000. The man turned around and resold this item as a symbol of suicidal depression for $4 million.

13. Water for $455

In 1977, Elvis Presley’s smart assistants sold a glass with the water he didn’t drink completely for $455. It happened in North Carolina after one of his concerts. At that moment, $455 was a huge amount of money. We wonder how long the buyer kept enjoying the purchase — there were only a few drops left in the glass, that were close to evaporation, during the auction.

12. Hair for $1 million

In 2007, Britney Spears shocked the public and shaved her head bald. The owners of the beauty shop where the singer cut her hair decided to sell it for no less than $1 million and started the bidding. The auction also included ponytail holders, a lighter, and a can from an energy drink that Britney left at the shop. Doubtful treasures.

11. Fun for $3,000

4 funny and smart Australian guys managed to sell their time on an eBay auction. They offered a fun-filled weekend with them for $3,000. The program of the event included drinks, snacks, and nice conversations. Not a bad idea for a student startup — collect the funniest of your friends and “earn extra” on the weekends.

10. Golf balls for $1,400

No, it’s not because some famous golfer used them that they are so expensive. It’s because they were swallowed by a python. The snake had to have surgery to have the balls removed and they were then sold for $1,400 Australian dollars. We wonder how people even get the idea to sell things like this after all? And we wonder even more, how they find anyone who wants to buy them.

9. A sandwich for $28,000

In 2004, the world saw a bitten sandwich with cheese that Diana Duyser forgot about for 10 years. The mold that appeared on it depicted the image of the Virgin Mary. Someone paid $28,000 for this “piece of art.”

8. A tissue for $5,300

This time it was Scarlett Johansson’s tissue that she used during The Tonight Show that sold at an auction. The tissue with her mucous was placed in a plastic bag and sold for $5,300. Why would the anonymous buyer need this? No idea.

7. A painting for $10,000

In 2011, the painting called “Fresh Air” that exists only in the artist’s imagination was sold for $10,000. We are not kidding! There is an organization called MONA (The Museum of Non-Visible Art) that sells pieces of art that exist only in artists’ heads. Money made from thin air, literally.

6. An advertising spot for $10,000

Becoming a unique person is simpler than it seems. A resident of the state of Utah, Kari Smith, sold an unusual advertising spot, on her forehead, for $10,000. The world-famous company GoldenPalace.com accepted this unusual offer and now the address of their site is tattooed on the woman’s face. We wonder whether Kari took part in selecting the font size?

5. Domain name for $16 million

In 2009, the company QuinStreet paid $16 million for the unique domain name Insure.com. This fact made it into the Guinness Book of Records. The only thing that remains unknown is who assesses the names for being unique and what the prices are based on.

4. Leftovers for $1,025

2 slices of singed French toast that Justin Timberlake was treated to during a breakfast interview at Z-100 radio station were bought at an auction by one of his 19-year-old fans for $1,025. The radio station donated this money to charity.

3. Air for $530

It’s hard to surprise anyone with a can of sea air today. However, it’s possible to do it if the can contains the breath of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Instead of a microphone, an inventive reporter gave the former celebrity couple a can when they were on the Red Carpet and perhaps their breath got inside of it. The can was sold for $530 at an auction, which is not bad for such a dubious thing.

2. Name for $25,000

Turns out, your forehead is not the only thing that you can sell for advertising. A family from the state of Connecticut posted the right to name their newborn baby up for auction on eBay. Guess, who won this strange auction? Of course, GoldenPalace.com. It seems one forehead was not enough for them. Now the baby’s name is Golden Palace Benedetto. Well, that actually sounds good.

1. Trash for $100

Marketing bordering on ingenuity. Painter Justin Gignac decided to prove that the design of a package is extremely important when making a decision to buy something. He started to sell cubes with garbage inside for $10. The fans of art liked this idea so much that the price for these souvenirs increased tenfold.

Bonus

Sometimes celebrities sell the right to go on a trip with them. Thus, Leonardo DiCaprio started an auction selling a chance to go on a space voyage on a Virgin Galactic suborbital spacecraft together with him. In 2014, this unique opportunity was bought by Russian businessman Vasily Klyukin for $1.5 million. Of course, the money was donated to charity, but the journey has not taken place yet. And no one knows whether it will ever happen.

Do you have any ideas on what weird things around you you can sell for big money? We would be glad to hear your ideas in the comments!