Sense and money are two completely separate things. If you have lots of one, then you probably don’t have much of the other. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that the expression “more money that sense” has now been part of our everyday language since the Anglo Saxons era. You see, even back then people were wafting about more cash than they knew what to do with. And this is something that has continued right up until today.This expression is very apt when referring to the recent auction that took place in New York. Businessmen, collectors, fans and investors gathered at The Hard Rock Café in Times Square to bid on 80 of the personal possessions that were owned and used by Michael Jackson. Items up for grabs included the fedora that Jackson wore during his 10-minute medley that he wore when opening the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards; which was sold for $73,800. Hand-written lyrics to "Beat It" that fetched $60,000. A Jackson-owned 1985 Mercedes-Benz that raised $104,500. They even managed to get shot of the mold that was used to fit the King of Pops fangs in the "Thriller" video. This went for $10,000.
However, the icing on the cake was the jewel encrusted glove that he wore when he first showed the world the moonwalk back in 1983. This now sits in the home of a Hong Kong based businessman. And all he had to pay for the privilege was $420,000. Collectively, the items were predicated to raise around $120,000. Yet, after all was done, they raised well over $2million.
This led me to think of all the other collectors that have paid an awesome amount of money for memorabilia because, well, they have more money than sense.
A 1965 Fender Stratocaster that was owned by Jimi Hendrix was bought by a collector for $490,000. A handwritten letter that Bob Dylan wrote to Jerry Garcia in 1995 carries the value of $35,000. Slash had his own hat valued at $50,000 - yet, he still refuses to part with it. $945,000 was the price paid by an anonymous UK collector in order to The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Drum Cover his own. Pete Townshend's Acoustic Guitar that he used to write "Behind Blue Eyes" is worth $27,115. Whilst the last notebook that Jim Morrison scrawled in is valued at $91,000. The VOX Organ that John Lennon used to play back in 1965 could be yours, if you have $200,000 spare. And the Sex Pistols press kit that they used to promote themselves to the American market is valued at a mere $5,000.
Now all this may clarify my initial point. However if it hasn’t, then the following will. Courtney Love is a person that shot to fame through her relationship with Nirvana front man, Kurt Cobain. Yes she had her own career with various bands, but if it wasn’t for Kurt, she wouldn’t be a fraction as successful as she has been. After the passing of Cobain, Love described her house as a mausoleum. Now, as mental as Courtney Love is, I’m not sure even she likes living amongst belongs of the deceased. So, she chucked everything in a box together and stuck it in storage. And now the time has come where she wants to get rid of it all for good. So, she’s slung it all in the back of her motor and has taken it down to Christie's for them to auction it off.The box consisted of cardigans, ripped jeans and flannel shirts. Love obviously went to Christie’s with the attitude of; “Hell, it’s not hand written lyrics to Nevermind, but it’s got to be worth something”. And worth something it is. The forecasted amount that this box of clothes is going to generate is a massive $40million. Which I’m sure you’ll agree is a ridiculous amount of money for what is essentially smelly cloth.
Now as sure as I am that tomorrow in London it will be raining and Big Ben will strike on the hour every hour, someone somewhere will stomp up the vast amount of cash it will cost to take these home and treasure them in a very different way to what you would your own smelly washing.
More money than sense? That’s a yes by the barrel load.
