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5 weirdest things auctioned and bought for no reason

Varsha VatsAugust 18, 2022 | 08:00 IST

Buying an antique masterpiece at an auction is a moment of pride. Many buy land, paintings, jewellery, vintage cars, ships and a lot more at an auction. But someone recently ended up buying the remains of a dead body, mistakenly.

What: A family in New Zealand bought a suitcase at an auction at a storage facility, and weren't expecting what came out of it. They found human remains inside it. The police is now investigating the case.

Now, while this New Zealand family might have bought human remains unintentionally, there are many people who have spent millions of dollars on the weirdest of stuff. 

The list of things that people have sold or bought at an auction is weirder than you can imagine.

Take a look.

1. Air from a Kanye West concert

A plastic bag labelled as “AIR FROM DONDA DROP” was auctioned on eBay in August 2021. The seller mentioned that the air is from the DONDA Drop event with Kanye West.

The seller mentioned that he attended the concert at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and filled the zip bag with air from that event.

The plastic bag was sold for $7,600 on eBay.

2. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s breath

A jar of air exhaled by former Hollywood couple Brat Pitt and Angelina Jolie was auctioned on eBay in 2010.

Yes, we have some genuine questions here: a) How was the air trapped in the jar? b) How do you prove that the air inside it is their breath?

Well, in 2010, 'celebrity air' was quite the fad. The jar was auctioned for $523.

3. Banana taped to a wall

The lamest of them all is this one. A banana duct-taped to a wall was auctioned too.

The banana was sold for $120,000 at Miami’s Art Basel. Referred to as 'art', the taped banana was named 'The Comedian', and was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

4. A dead shark in formaldehyde

Damien Hirst's pickled shark was sold to America by Charles Saatchi for nearly £7 million ($ 8 million).

A 14-foot-long tiger shark was encased in formaldehyde. It was first shown at Saatchi's Gallery in London in 1992. It was titled The Physical Impossibility of Death In The Mind Of Someone Living.

5. Justin Timberlake’s leftover French toast

Around 20 years ago, Justin Timberlake left some of the French toast served during the Z100 morning show in New York City. The station’s DJ jokingly put two slices of it on sale on eBay. And a teenage girl named Kathy Summers bought it for $1,025.

“I’ll probably freeze-dry it, then seal it...then put it on my dresser,” the girl said.

Ok, then.

Last updated: August 18, 2022 | 08:00
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