We all have hobbies and we all like to invest in them to the extent that our pocket allows. The more money we have, the more expensive the gym membership will be – we'll buy a sparkling tennis racket that will dazzle the other players and even invest in collectibles in the hope that our children can sell them and realize the exit we dream of. Here are the most expensive sports and leisure items in the world:
By beating Kim Clijsters in sets of 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), France's Amelie Mauresmo won the final of the recent Diamond Games tournament in Belgium. Mauresmo’s trophy cabinet will now be as impressive as much of her tournament play, as she is entitled – like every competitor who wins the tournament three times in five years – to add the competition's idiosyncratic trophy, a diamond-studded tennis racket. The golden tennis racket weighs 8.8 pounds and has been studded with over 1,700 diamonds, giving it a value of $1.3 million.
If Venus Williams had entered the Proximus Diamond Games in 2006, she would have had a chance to win this expensive tennis racket, but she withdrew from the tournament two days before the competition.
Another interesting sport item is a tennis ball made out of gold with color diamonds, made by the Israeli diamond trader Avi Maoz. The special tennis ball is on display at the Israeli Diamond Musuem in Ramat Gan.
Games
The world's most expensive Monopoly set was created by US jeweler Sidney Mobell, who used rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and 23k gold to make the board and house and hotel properties of the well-known Parker Bros. game. Even the dice are bejeweled, featuring diamonds for number dots.
Charles Hollander Backgammon Set – Starts at $1.5 million
Created for the Charles Hollander Collection, this amazing version of the classic board game features 61,082 black, white, and yellow diamond. The stones' total weight is 2,071.48 carats, but that's only the beginning. The set, which took over 10,000 hours to create, is also made of 6.77 kg of yellow gold and 150 grams of silver.
This chess set, specially commissioned by the UK jewelry company Boodles, is known as the most expensive and exquisite game set in the world, of any kind. The set is crafted from gold and platinum lavishly embellished with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and pearls. The king alone – made of 18 k gold and with a midsection of 73 rubies and 146 diamonds – weighs 165.2 grams.
World’s Most Expensive Pokémon Card - $20,000
Pikachu Illustrator. While the Pokémon craze may have passed its heyday, the media franchise still has a devoted cult fan base of its cartoon series, films, and collectible card game – whose most expensive card is the Pikachu Illustrator. The Pikachu Illustrator cards were created as prizes for a magazine contest, and only six exist. They have been valued at up to $20,000. Not approaching the $20,000 price tag of the Pikachu Illustrator but still not cheap is the mass-produced Charizard card, prized for its 120 HP and Fire Spin attacks. First editions of the Charizard can cost as much as $125.
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