With celebrity money, spending is easy, and sometimes they have to get creative. Jay Leno has his cars, Mike Tyson had white tigers, and Lady Gaga spent 50 grand on a ghost-detecting machine.
Nonetheless, there are the more sentimental purchases. Some celebs use their fortune to collect memorabilia that have connects to their idols or to historical events. Here are five strange pieces of memorabilia owned by celebrities.
1. The Sled from Citizen Kane – Steven Spielberg
When you’re the most renowned filmmaker in the business, finding someone to look up to can be difficult. One of those few people for Spielberg was Orson Welles. Welles co-wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane, which is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential films of all time.
Spielberg showed his admiration for Welles by forking out $60,000 for the sled from Citizen Kane. The classic movie prominently featured the sled, nicknamed Rosebud; the object represented happier times for the film’s main character.
Spielberg told The New York Times that the sled is ”a symbolic emblem of quality in the film business.” For 60 grand, we hope so.
2. 250 Antique Typewriters – Tom Hanks
A friend gave Hanks a junky old typewriter from the ’70s as a gift. When the actor took it to a shop for service, he learned that it was basically a toy. That day, he purchased a Hermes 2000 and fell in love with well-made, vintage typewriters.
If you’re wondering why Hanks is fascinated by a machine that doesn’t save, copy and paste, or spellcheck, we’ll let him explain. He told WBEZ Chicago:
“What you have there is essentially a word processing machine that you can use every day, that you will never lose the data, and can never be hacked by the forces of evil. And all you have to remember to do is put what you type into an envelope, or hand it over to the people you love or stick it in the mail.”
We have to admit—he has a point.
3. Babe Ruth World Series Ring and Trade Papers – Charlie Sheen
The star of Major League loves baseball and has owned several high-priced items from the sport’s biggest names. Among these relics are two items that Sheen will soon relinquish.
The actor is putting Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring up for auction, along with the sale document that completed Ruth’s trade from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees. The two items are expected to bring Sheen at least $1 million.
4. Jack Kerouac Artifacts – Johnny Depp
Depp is no stranger to spending money. He reportedly spends $30,000 per month on wine alone. Besides the luxurious spending on the drink, he’s also bought several islands in the Bahamas.
Those aren’t the strangest purchases though. Who wouldn’t snatch up a private island if they had the money?
More revealing of Depp’s personality is his purchase of items that belonged to Jack Kerouac. Depp owns a raincoat, a suitcase, and manuscripts from the famous beat writer. Alas, Depp’s lavish spending may soon be coming to an end; according to Vulture, he’s waging a legal battle against his former business managers.
