Letter

In 1991 a Beverly Hills company purchased a letter written by Abraham Lincoln on January 08 1863 for $748,000.00

The letter was written to Major General John Alexander McClernand defending the Emancipation Proclamation.

Here's the letter:

Abraham Lincoln
January 8, 1863

Executive Mansion,

Washington, January 8. 1863.

Major General McClernand

My dear Sir Your interesting communication by the hand of Major Scates is received. I never did ask more, nor ever was willing to accept less, than for all the States, and the people thereof, to take and hold their places, and their rights, in the Union, under the Constitution of the United States. For this alone have I felt authorized to struggle; and I seek neither more nor less now. Still, to use a coarse, but an expressive figure, broken eggs can not be mended. I have issued the emancipation proclamation, and I can not retract it.

After the commencement of hostilities I struggled nearly a year and a half to get along without touching the "institution"; and when finally I conditionally determined to touch it, I gave a hundred days fair notice of my purpose, to all the States and people, within which time they could have turned it wholly aside, by simply again becoming good citizens of the United States. They chose to disregard it, and I made the peremptory proclamation on what appeared to me to be a military necessity. And being made, it must stand. As to the States not included in it, of course they can have their rights in the Union as of old. Even the people of the states included, if they choose, need not to be hurt by it. Let them adopt systems of apprenticeship for the colored people, conforming substantially to the most approved plans of gradual emancipation; and, with the aid they can have from the general government, they may be nearly as well off, in this respect, as if the present trouble had not occurred, and much better off than they can possibly be if the contest continues persistently.

As to any dread of my having a "purpose to enslave, or exterminate, the whites of the South," I can scarcely believe that such dread exists. It is too absurd. I believe you can be my personal witness that no man is less to be dreaded for undue severity, in any case.

If the friends you mention really wish to have peace upon the old terms, they should act at once. Every day makes the case more difficult. They can so act, with entire safety, so far as I am concerned.

I think you would better not make this letter public; but you may rely confidently on my standing by whatever I have said in it. Please write me if any thing more comes to light. Yours very truly

A. LINCOLN.

Film

If you look purely at production cost King Kong (2005) edges out Superman Returns (2006) by a paltry $3 million USD.

The tab for King Kong ran $207 million while Superman Returns lightened investors wallets by only $204 million.

If you factor in inflation then War and Peace (1968) blows away the competition, costing the equivalent of $560 million 2005 dollars while Cleopatra (1963) comes in a distant second at $286 million 2005 dollars.

War and Peace took 7 years and $100 million to produce.

Cognac

Cognac is such prestigious liquor that it must only be produced in the region of France for which it is named. In addition to that, all cognac must be ninety percent comprised of three different types of grapes that are found in that region – Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard grapes. There is a list of criteria, including these two that the cognac must meet before it is then turned over to the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC) when they will determine if the liquor can truly be called a cognac. All of this criteria makes cognac a very expensive liquor but there is one that tops them all.

The most expensive cognac is Henri IV Dudognon Heritage and it is named after a French king. This king’s family has been making the cognac since 1776. The wine is placed in barrels where it will age for one hundred years. These barrels need to be air dried for five years before any cognac can be placed into them. The cognac that comes out of the barrels after one-hundred-and-five years is 41% alcohol, making it 82 proof.

The bottle in which the cognac is placed also contributes to it being the most expensive cognac in the world. The bottle is dipped in twenty-four karat gold and sterling platinum before being decorated with 6,500 brilliant cut diamonds. The total cost for this fine bottle of cognac?

$2 million USD.

Action Figure

When Hasbro created G.I. Joe in the 1970s, they were hoping for success but they probably didn’t think that they were creating something that would become an icon in the toy industry for forty years. G.I. Joe has been redeveloped over the years, has been the basis for a Marvel Comic series of comics, and is a familiar name to just about everyone. It’s no wonder that it is this military toy that is ranked as the most expensive action figure.

As with anything else, no matter how many people try to improve upon it and expand it, there will be nothing as truly valuable as the first G.I. Joe action figure. This prototype stands at twelve inches tall and has a retail value of $200,000 USD. It is currently owned by collector Steve Geppi and Joe is being showcased at the Geppi Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

MacBook

Are you willing to shell out $8,000.00 for a gold plated MacBook Pro? If so you might be interested to know that you will be far from owning the world's most expensive MacBook.

To own the world's most expensive MacBook you'll need to purchase the “Golden Age” Macbook Air from Bling My Thing that comes with 12,000 Swarovski crystals treated with a 24K gold coating but you'd better hurry as only 20 were being made.

Just be sure to bring along $40,000.00 for your purchase.

Deck of Cards

Do you know someone that loves card games such as Blackjack or Poker? If so, then you should put this unique deck of cards on your Christmas list, if they have been good the entire year.

The most expensive deck of cards available for purchase is etched in stainless steel! When they are received they are in one large steel sheet which is so magnificent you may wish to hang them on the wall instead of press them out to play a game of cards.

The price for these awesome playing cards is a whopping £195 or $351.00 USD.

The highest price paid for a deck of cards at auction was $143,352.00 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City.

On December 6, 1983 the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased a deck of cards from around 1470-85 which are believed to be the oldest known complete hand-painted deck.

Apartment

Apartment hunting is always a tough challenge but even more so if you’re looking in London, England’s apartment complex, One Hyde Park. It is here that there are four penthouse apartments have been developed by Candy & Candy and designed by architect Richard Rogers. In addition to the penthouse apartments, there are also eighty apartments all of which have access to communal spas, squash courts, and a wine-tasting facility open only to residents. The building is expected to have construction completed in 2010, although all of the units sold out in 2007. When finished, the building will cost 1.5 billion pounds, approximately three billion dollars American. It is being funded by Qatar’s foreign minister.

The most expensive apartment in the world is one of the penthouse units in this high-class building, costing over 100 million pounds, about 200 million dollars American. Every penthouse will feature bulletproof glass, panic rooms, and an underground tunnel that leads to a hotel nearby, among other security features. If you like the look but don’t have that kind of cash, you can buy another one of the units for 20 million pounds, approximately 40 million dollars American.