Lists of famous musical instruments often focus on who played the instrument. This list is different. Here, we’ll highlight ten musical instruments that have sold for the highest prices or that are considered to be the most valuable instruments in the world. The value of a musical instrument is always tied to the compelling story behind it.

Sometimes, the instrument is crafted by a master maker whose secrets we still don’t fully understand. Other times, the value comes from the seemingly superhuman abilities of the person who played it. Another common theme stems from an instrument being one of the last remaining pieces made by a famous company or instrument maker. One final theme is when the instrument has such an original story behind it that people find it almost impossible to believe—they need to see the instrument with their own eyes.

You’ll definitely learn something new from this list. Many of these instruments are not well known to the general public. Often, the stories of these rare and expensive instruments are only known to hardcore fans of the musical genres associated with each instrument. Let’s shine some light on these ten famous musical instruments that are probably worth more than the car you’re currently driving.

Related: Top 10 Bizarre Musical Instruments You Rarely See Today

10 Paul McCartney’s $12.6 Million Hofner Bass

Paul McCartney’s 1960 Hofner bass is one of the most famous musical instruments in history. The extremely rare bass was stolen from McCartney in 1972, leading many to believe that it was lost forever. Through an incredible turn of events, the bass was returned to McCartney in late 2023. It’s worth an estimated 10 million British pounds, or about 12.6 million U.S. dollars.

Stolen from the back of a van in London’s Notting Hill on the night of October 10, 1972, McCartney’s bass changed hands several times over the years. After stealing the bass, the thief sold it to the landlord of a pub in the Notting Hill area. An English mother of two, Cathy Guest, discovered the bass in her attic many decades later. Unaware of its legendary past, she did some research and realized it belonged to the legendary Beatle. It turns out that her late husband, Rauidhri Guest, had inherited the instrument many years before when he was a 21-year-old film student.

The Hofner company verified the provenance of the bass (that it was actually the same bass stolen from McCartney) after it was returned to him. McCartney reportedly handed a six-figure reward to Cathy for her miraculous find. A team of experts is now helping McCartney to restore the bass to its original playing condition.^[1]

9 Korg’s PS-3300: The $100,000 Synthesizer

When Korg released the PS-3300 in 1977, it was a luxurious musical instrument that only the wealthiest musicians could afford. Over the decades, it became a very rare and coveted item, so much so that one sold for $100,000 in 2021. The rarity and popularity of the original Korg PS-3300 led software developers to create modern reinterpretations of the iconic instrument as computer programs called virtual synthesizers. For example, Cherry Audio created a virtual synthesizer that can run on a computer to recreate all the sounds of the original physical Korg PS-3300 synthesizer.

The original PS-3300 was extremely large, and it packed a lot of functionality into that space. It featured a semi-modular design with three independent synthesizer units, each essentially a complete polyphonic synthesizer on its own. Each unit had 12 tunable oscillators, filters, envelopes, and amplifiers for every note, allowing all 48 keys to be played simultaneously with independent articulation. This unique architecture enabled musicians to create rich, evolving sounds that were groundbreaking at the time. Synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog considered the PS-3300 “the best synthesizer for fat sounds.”

Cherry Audio carefully studied the original PS-3300 to create a virtual synthesizer with a feel and playability similar to the original instrument. Their digital PS-3300 captures the sound and unique features of the original, with each key functioning as its own synthesizer. It has 49 keys, each equipped with three oscillators, filters, envelopes, and amplifiers, for a total of 147 synth voices. They also added modern enhancements like MIDI control, integrated effects, and over 360 presets.^[2]

8 The $73,000 Platinum Flute

The William S. Haynes handmade custom flute is made of platinum, and it’s one of the most expensive flutes in the world. It costs as much as a high-end automobile. Buying one will set you back $72,799, an incredibly high price for any new musical instrument. The Haynes flute is both expensive and stunning to look at. It features a platinum body and a hand-cut headjoint that has a 14-karat rose gold lip plate and riser.

The Haynes flute is precision manufactured in the United States. Its precision-made components include soldered 14-karat gold tone holes and gold springs on the flute’s keys. The flute’s unique combination of platinum and gold might give it different tonal qualities than other lower-end professional flutes. Professional flutes are typically made of less expensive metals like silver, though some world-class flutists, like Sir James Galway, play flutes made of gold.

In May of 2019, a popular YouTube flutist who goes by the name “katieflute” published a video where she played the William S. Haynes handmade custom flute. As of September 2024, the video has over 250,000 views. When the video was recorded in 2019, the Haynes flute was actually more expensive than it is now: it came in at a cool $84,000 at that time. At either price, you could purchase a luxury car for the price of one of these high-class/high-end flutes.^[3]

7 Joey DeFancesco’s Priceless Blonde Hammond B3 Organ

Joey DeFrancesco (1971–2022) was a prominent jazz organist and considered to be a world-class virtuoso of the famed Hammond B3 organ. He was the son and grandson of jazz musicians; his grandfather was Joseph DeFrancesco, and his dad was organist “Papa” John DeFrancesco (1940–2024). Joey DeFrancesco recorded and played with a who’s who of the music industry, including Miles Davis, David Sanborn, and trumpeter Randy Brecker and his brother, Michael Brecker.

In 2003, Joey DeFrancesco sold his very rare and beloved “blonde” Hammond B3 organ on eBay to an Australian buyer named Geoff Williamson. But there was a catch: whenever Joey performed in Australia, the organ had to be made available for him to play. In 2019, Joey was headlining the Generations in Jazz festival in Mount Gambier, South Australia. True to his word, Geoff brought “Blondie” out of storage and made it available for Joey to perform on.

Now that Joey DeFrancesco has passed away, it’s hard to evaluate what his rare blonde Hammond instrument is worth, but it’s certainly worth more than other rare blonde Hammond B3s out in the wild. Joey DeFrancesco was well-known, nominated for four Grammy Awards, and signed his first recording contract with Columbia Records at the age of 16. I couldn’t find any YouTube video footage of DeFrancesco playing his blonde Hammond B3, but I found great footage of him playing a more traditional Hammond B3 organ to showcase his musical mastery.^[4]

6 The $600,000 Piano from the Movie Casablanca

In 2012, the piano featured in the 1942 classic film Casablanca was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York for $602,500. The 58-key piano was expected to sell for up to $1.2 million, but selling for $600,000 was still an incredible sum for a worn-out 70-year-old instrument. The piano’s seller made an extremely large profit at the auction, having purchased the piano for $154,000 in 1988.

This historic piano is the exact same one played by actor/musician/singer Dooley Wilson in the movie. His memorable character, “Sam,” sang the song “As Time Goes By” in one of the film’s most famous scenes. Sold to an unidentified buyer, the piano was the highlight of more than 200 pieces of Hollywood memorabilia up for sale at the 2012 auction.

Interestingly, “As Time Goes By” was almost cut from the movie due to its initial lack of popularity. Had the song been removed, we would have probably never heard of this rare and historic piano that is now a permanent part of the great American film story.^[5]

5 Ringo Starr’s Ludwig Drum Kit

Ringo Starr’s original Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl kit is considered to be one of the most valuable and rare drum kits in the world. In the early 1960s, American instruments were rare and expensive in Britain, making them highly coveted by British musicians. Ringo, who was playing Premier drums at the time, stumbled upon the Ludwig kit in a London music store, and he instantly fell in love with the drum set. Once he saw and played it, he knew that he had to purchase it.

When purchasing the kit, the store owner went to remove the Ludwig logo, but Ringo insisted that it stay on to clearly identify the drum set as American-made. Starr’s decision was one of the best strokes of luck for the Ludwig company: the logo was prominently displayed during The Beatles’ performances. The famed drum set, perhaps the most famous drum set in the world, became an integral part of The Beatles’ image as they rose to become one of the world’s biggest rock bands.

As The Beatles’ schedule became more demanding, Ringo acquired additional Ludwig kits to keep up with their live performances, recordings, and film commitments like “A Hard Day’s Night.” Today, his original Ludwig kits are priceless pieces of music history. They are rare, highly sought after, and can definitely cost more than a luxury car if you can actually find one to buy.^[6]

4 Charlie Parker’s Rare $144,000 Grafton Acrylic Alto Saxophone

On Friday, May 15, 1953, one of the most historic jazz concerts of all time took place at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada. It was the last time that the five founding members of the bebop jazz movement played together as a quintet. The five members of the group are all household names among avid jazz fans: Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums.

Another thing that made the concert historic was that it was one of the few documented recordings of Charlie Parker playing a plastic/acrylic saxophone that was given to him as a gift by a company called Grafton. According to Red Rodney, a famous trumpeter who was a member of Charlie Parker’s Quintet for three years in the early 1950s, a Grafton company representative gave Parker the plastic saxophone in Detroit, Michigan. He ended up playing this saxophone at the May 15, 1953, jazz concert.

Charlie Parker’s Grafton saxophone now resides in the American Jazz Museum in the 18th and Vine Jazz District in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. The museum won the prized saxophone in a 1994 auction at Christie’s Auction House in London. The then-mayor of Kansas City, Emanuel Cleaver II, monitored the auction remotely with city officials in hopes of winning the piece of jazz history. Kansas City won the auction at a final price of $144,000, and the saxophone is now on display in the American Jazz Museum in the same neighborhood where a very young Charlie Parker attended jazz jam sessions during his formative years in the late 1930s and early 1940s.^[7]

3 The $45 Million Stradivarius Viola

In 2014, Sotheby’s tried to auction off the extremely rare Macdonald Stradivarius viola for $45 million. The viola, constructed in 1701 by master instrument maker Antonio Stradivari, is one of only eleven surviving violas he ever made, making it even rarer than his famous violins. The auction was expected to break world records, but not a single bid came through.

The Macdonald viola has a rich and storied history. It was played by Peter Schidlof of the Amadeus Quartet until his death in 1987. After that, it spent nearly 30 years in a vault, becoming one of the best-preserved Stradivarius instruments. Its scarcity and condition make it highly valuable, yet its high price tag scared off potential buyers. It’s the only one of its kind not owned by a museum or foundation, meaning it could still potentially be sold one day.

The failed auction raised an interesting social question. Should very rare musical instruments be played or preserved? Since playing a musical instrument regularly greatly increases the risk of damage, it is very likely that this amazingly rare viola will one day end up in a museum or in the home of a wealthy collector willing to ensure that it is adequately protected.^[8]

2 Kurt Cobain’s $6 Million Guitar

Kurt Cobain (1967–1994) was, and still is, a household name among many hardcore music fans due to his fascinating time as the lead singer and guitarist of the American grunge band Nirvana. His death by suicide in April 1994 stunned the world and elevated him to such a level of fame that, in many parts of the world, it would be difficult to find someone who hasn’t heard of him.

In 1993, Nirvana performed on MTV Unplugged, and the 1959 Martin D-18E that Cobain played during the performance is considered to be one of the most famous guitars in the world. In June 2020, the guitar sold for slightly more than $6 million at auction, making it the most expensive guitar ever sold.

The winning bidder was Peter Freedman, the founder of Rode Microphones. At the time of winning the auction, Freedman planned to take the guitar on a worldwide exhibition tour to raise awareness and funds for the arts community. The staggering price paid for the guitar shows how valuable musical instruments that are considered to be part of our collective memories can be. People often see these instruments as ways to connect with their long-gone heroes in a real and visceral way.^[9]

1 The $15.3 Million Stradivarius Violin Played by Albert Einstein’s Teacher

Anything closely connected to the world’s most famous theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, is inevitably destined to sell for extremely high dollar amounts. The Stradivarius violin played by one of Einstein’s teachers is no exception. In 2022, this incredibly rare Stradivarius violin sold for $15.3 million at auction.

This particular violin was crafted in 1714 by Antonio Stradivari, perhaps the world’s most well-known violin maker. It once belonged to Toscha Seidel, a Russian-American violin virtuoso. Seidel used this instrument to record the soundtrack of the 1939 American film The Wizard of Oz. More notably, Seidel also played this violin alongside Einstein while giving Einstein private music sessions.

In 1933, Seidel and Einstein played a concert together in New York to raise funds for German-Jewish scientists fleeing the Nazi regime. The violin itself was part of Stradivari’s “Golden Period,” when he created his most coveted and highly valued instruments. Of the thousands of pieces Stradivari made, only about 600 are known today, with very few from this elite period. This famous Stradivarius was previously part of the Munetsugu collection in Japan. Though its most recent buyer remains anonymous, the violin’s connection to Einstein ensures that it won’t be forgotten any time soon.^[10]

One might think that sporting an Hermes Birkin, Louboutin pumps, and a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses is super-classy. But these iconic fashion riches pale in comparison to the world’s best. If you had all the money in the world, would you consider buying the most-expensive hat, handbag, or underwear ever made? While you’ve been busy struggling to afford toilet paper, here are the delights that the bankers, CEOs, celebrities, and politicians have been enjoying.

10 Most Expensive And Delectable Desserts

10Men’s Dress Socks: Falke Vicuna Gentleman Socks, $1,000/pair

Cheap socks are for the birds. They have annoying seams. They stretch out and wear out. Worst of all, they fall down inside your shoes. Investing in quality socks is one way to ensure that your feet always remain encased in comfort.

To that end, Falke makes expensive socks. The luxury knitwear brand uses “only the best yarns” to create its luxury line of men’s legwear, a collection of “premium quality and the best craftsmanship.”

The company’s priciest socks, selling for about $1,000 a pair, are made of vicuna, one of the most expensive fabrics in the world. Vicuna is a fine, delicate wool that comes from the ultra-fine hair (and none of the coarse hairs) of the Peruvian vicuna.

Falke’s website describes the fabric like this: “The ‘fibre of the gods’ is obtained from the Purvian vicuna. Its fine, dense wool was valued as the rarest and most expensive in the world and was reserved for the highest nobility and the church, even in the time of the Incas.”

One vicuna (picture a really soft llama) produces about one pound of wool. Vicuna is too delicate to be dyed, so the very special socks are available in only one color: llama brown.

Because the fabric is so luxurious, it’s unreasonable to think that the Falke Knit Socks could be mass produced. Each pair is custom made–tailored to the wearer’s foot–and shipped in an elegant wooden box. Oh, and vicuna is said to boast unique warming properties. So your fancy feet will never get cold!^[1]

9Sunglasses: Chopard De Rigo Vision Sunglasses, $408,400

Sporting pricey Ray-Bans is a good way to protect your eyes with style. But if you really want to make a statement with eyewear, then you need something more deluxe. Chopard makes sunglasses and accessories from real gold that has been “ethically sourced.” When the design house partnered with De Rigo, another high-end eyewear brand, they created the ultimate sunglasses experience.

The Chopard De Rigo Vision Sunglasses are made with 60 grams of 24-carat gold and 51 individual four-carat River diamonds. In all, each golden pair features more than 200 carats of diamonds.

“The exclusive eyewear appeals to an explicit group of fashionistas,” according to a brand representative. The sunglasses premiered in Dubai where, thankfully, it’s usually sunny.^[2]

8Men’s Suits: Stuart Hughes Diamond Edition, $723,000

A suit worth nearly a million dollars? Yep. Luxury goods designer Stuart Hughes and tailor Richard Jewels teamed up to create the Diamond Edition suit. They made only three of these extravagant ensembles — no small wonder since each took more than 600 hours to stitch.

Like many high-end suits, the Diamond Edition is constructed of wool, cashmere, and silk. Unlike any other suit, however, it boasts more than 480 half-carat, single-cut diamonds. The gems are etched onto the exterior lining of the jacket with unexpected “bedazzled” results.

Good news: The suit is still in stock at the Stuart Hughes website. And each purchase comes with a bonus all-expense-paid trip to a luxury destination.^[3]

7Hat: Chapeau D’Amour, $2.7 million

The most expensive hat ever created is the $2.7 million Chapeau d’Amour, the “hat of love,” which was created by Louis Mariette in 2004. Made of woven platinum and encrusted with spectacular diamonds and amethyst, the hat was inspired by the designers love of ivy and bluebells.

Harrods approached Mariette to create something unique for the store’s new luxury millinery and wedding department. One of the main sponsors was the American Express Platinum card. The designer approached the project with absolute glee.

The Platinum Guild had already developed the rare platinum fabric that would serve as the base of the hat. Next came the ornamental Lady Amherst pheasant feathers. Mariette sat on the beach of a tiny island in the Indian Ocean as he hand embroidered the feathers onto the mesh-like fabric, which he said was “a total joy to work with.” The diamond supplier created special clasps that could hold the stones but still be removed for insurance and security purposes.

The Chapeau d’Amour traveled the world and now resides in the Cliveden House, which is surrounded by the forest of bluebells that provided Mariette’s inspiration. It is not for sale.^[4]

6Handbag: Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, $3.8 million

Renowned jeweler Robert Mouawad from the House of Mouawad first offered the 1001 Nights Diamond Purse at a price of $3.8 million in 2010. One year later, the Guinness Book of World Records declared the elegant purse the most valuable in the world. The heart-shaped masterpiece is handcrafted from 18-karat gold and boasts 4,517 diamonds (105 yellow, 56 pink, and 4,356 colorless) weighing in at 381.92 carats. Ten highly skilled artisans worked for more than 8,800 man hours to create this dazzling bag.

The design is said to have been inspired by the Middle Eastern romantic fantasy, One Thousand and One Nights. The rare bejeweled purse has been shown at auctions in Hong Kong, Geneva, and London but remains up for grabs. Experts predict a new value of more than $5 million.^[5]

10 Creepy Items That Are Really Expensive

5Underwear: Victoria’s Secret Red Hot Fantasy Bra and Panties, $15 million

Victoria’s Secret has been creating multi-million-dollar bras for decades. In the 2001 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Heidi Klum sported the $12.5 million Heavenly Star Bra, which heaved with 1,200 Sri Lankan pink sapphires and a 90-carat diamond. Four years later, Gisele Bundchen wore the equally expensive Sexy Splendour Fantasy Bra, which featured 2,900 pave diamonds, 22 rubies, and a 101-carat diamond set in 18-karat white gold.

But if you’re going to blow more than $10 million on a bra, wouldn’t it be nice to at least have a matching pair of undies? The Guinness World Record for the most expensive lingerie ever created goes to just such a set. Bundchen modeled the Red Hot Fantasy Bra and Panties on Victoria’s Secret’s 2000 runway. About 3,000 diamonds and 22 Thai rubies are encased in 28-karat white gold. The gemstones weigh about 1,300 carats (101 of which dangle from a single diamond). The price tag: $15 million.

Note: Technically, Victoria Secret’s Fantasy pieces are “underwear” and not intended to be worn poolside. If it’s pricey beachwear you’re after, consider Susan Rosen’s $27 million diamond bikini. The designer created the barely-there “swimsuit” for Molly Sims’ appearance in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The bikini, which features 150 carats of diamonds set in platinum, is the ultimate in the “fine art of opulence.”^[6]

4Shoes: Passion Diamond Shoes, $17 million

Recently featured on our list of expensive everyday items, we couldn’t leave these shoes off a list of luxury fashion items. In October 2018, the world’s most expensive shoes were launched. The luxurious Passion Diamond Shoes feature hundreds of flawless diamonds, including two perfect 15-carat stones. The real-gold stilettos, created by UAE-based Jada Dubai, are on display in the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. The display size is 36 EU, but wealthy buyers can request any size made to order.

Note: One pair of Passion Diamond Shoes is equivalent to 23,448 pairs of Louboutin So Kate pumps, which run about $700 per pair.^[7]

3Watch: Chopard 201-Carat Watch, $26 million

Chopard, a luxury watch company in Switzerland, is known for precision timekeeping and jewelry. The company was founded in 1860 by Louis Ulysse Chopard, a 24-year old who aspired to develop precise pocket watches and chronometers. In the 1960s, Karl Scheufele III purchased Chopard.

The $26 million price of the 201-Carat Watch is an estimate. That’s because this one-of-a-kind watch is so expensive that there is no listing price. The beautiful timepiece features 874 high-grade diamonds in blue, white, and pink that weigh in at 163 carats. Three heart-shaped diamonds sit at the center of the watch: a 15.37-carat pink diamond, a 12.79-carat blue diamond, and an 11.36-carat white diamond.

To view the time, the wearer presses a special mechanism. The heart-shaped diamonds open like the petals of a flower to reveal the face of the watch, which boasts three pear-shaped yellow diamonds.^[8]

2Dress: Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur, $30 million

Faiyzali Abdulla is a well-known Malaysian fashion designer. Anything created by Abdulla is a big deal. And when that creation has a name like “Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur,” it’s a really big effing deal.

The $30 million dress, which was presented in 2009 at STYLO Fashion Grand Prix KL, is composed of the finest chiffon and silk taffeta. This extraordinary off-shoulder evening gown glitters with 751 diamonds (1,100 carats). The largest of the diamonds is a 70-carat Mouawad teardrop on the gown’s bustier.

The burgundy masterpiece, which features a 6-foot train, reportedly cost $23 million to create. Abdulla’s inspiration for the dress came from the 14th century Persian poem “The Rose and the Nightingale,” which was read aloud when the dress was presented.^[9]

1Jewelry: CTF Pink Star Diamond Ring, $71.2 million

Even small diamond rings are expensive. But the Pink Star is an “internally flawless pink 59.6-carat diamond.” The gemstone was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in April 2017 for $71.2 million.

De Beers extracted the diamond from a mine in Africa in 1999. In its raw state, it was 132.5 carats. It took two years to cut and polish the diamond to perfection. At 2.69 cm by 2.06 cm (1.06 in. x 0.81 in.), it is the largest flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

The buyer of the Pink Star was Chow Fai Fook Enterprises, a Hong Kong conglomerate that has a chain of jewelry stores.

Note: The Pink Star holds the world record for the most expensive jewel ever sold. But the blue diamond holds the record for the most valuable price per carat at $3.93 million. In 2016, the 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue diamond sold for $57.5 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva.^[10]

Top 10 Most Expensive Items Sold That Don’t Actually Exist

In the ever-evolving world of luxury, staying ahead in the digital realm is paramount. With an increasing number of affluent consumers turning to the internet for their shopping needs and inspiration, the online presence of luxury brands has never been more critical. Here’s the Luxe Digital’s annual ranking of the top luxury brands online, it’s evident that digital popularity is a reliable predictor of future success in the luxury industry.

These brands are not just names; they’re powerful influencers shaping the luxury landscape. Here, we present the top 10 most popular luxury brands online in 2023.

1. Dior – Leading the Digital Catwalk

Industry: Fashion

Dior, the iconic French fashion house, secures the top spot on our list. Renowned for its elegant designs and timeless creations, Dior continues to captivate the digital audience. Their presence extends across various platforms, making them a dominant force in the world of luxury fashion.

2. Gucci – A Digital Fashion Phenomenon

Industry: Fashion

Gucci, with its audacious and eclectic style, takes the second spot. The Italian brand’s creative and bold approach resonates with the modern consumer. Their digital campaigns and collaborations keep them in the spotlight, earning them a devoted online following.

See also: World’s Top 10 Renowned Trendy Eyewear Brands

3. Chanel – Timeless Elegance Meets Digital Savvy

Industry: Fashion

Chanel, synonymous with timeless elegance, secures the third position. The brand’s ability to blend its rich heritage with digital innovation is exemplary. Chanel’s online presence is nothing short of spectacular, maintaining a strong connection with its loyal fan base.

4. Louis Vuitton – Mastering Luxury in the Digital Age

Industry: Fashion

Louis Vuitton, a name synonymous with luxury travel and craftsmanship, is the fourth most popular luxury brand online. Their captivating storytelling, creative campaigns, and iconic monogram continue to attract a global digital audience.

See also: Most Expensive Handbags in the World

5. Hermès – Crafting Digital Excellence

Industry: Fashion

Hermès, known for its exquisite craftsmanship and timeless accessories, holds the fifth position. The brand’s dedication to quality extends to its online presence, where it engages with its audience through storytelling and exclusive experiences.

See also: World’s 10 Top Selling Brands

6. Rolex – The Timeless Icon in the Digital Era

Industry: Watch

Rolex, the epitome of luxury watchmaking, is the sixth most popular luxury brand online. Rolex has mastered the art of combining tradition with digital innovation, staying highly sought-after among watch enthusiasts worldwide.

See also: Most Expensive Watches in The World

7. Prada – Redefining Digital Fashion

Industry: Fashion

Prada takes the seventh spot with its avant-garde designs and digital creativity. The Italian fashion house remains a pioneer in the luxury fashion sector, consistently captivating its audience through cutting-edge campaigns.

8. Tiffany – Online Elegance in Jewelry

Industry: Jewelry

Tiffany, renowned for its exquisite jewelry and iconic blue box, ranks eighth on our list. Their digital presence shines with captivating visuals and storytelling, maintaining their status as a go-to brand for luxury jewelry.

9. Versace – Bold and Glamorous in the Digital World

Industry: Fashion

Versace, famous for its bold and glamorous designs, takes the ninth position. The brand’s digital strategy is as vibrant as its fashion creations, resonating with a young and fashion-forward audience.

See also: Top 10 Most Expensive Clothing Brands in the World

10. Burberry – Bridging Heritage and Modernity Online

Industry: Fashion

Burberry rounds out the top 10 with its blend of heritage and modernity. The British fashion house has successfully embraced digital channels, appealing to a diverse and tech-savvy customer base.

Top 10 Most Popular Luxury Brands Online in 2023

The online popularity of these luxury brands is more than just a reflection of their current success; it’s a testament to their ability to adapt and thrive in the digital age. They not only command attention but also play a pivotal role in shaping the future of luxury, setting trends, and pushing boundaries.

See also: Fashion Brands of The World – Top 10

As we continue to witness the evolution of luxury in the digital landscape, these brands are likely to remain at the forefront, captivating and inspiring consumers around the world.

The word “delicacy” gets used a lot to describe foods that are often less than appetizing. It has become a sort of diplomatic way to describe something that no one would want to eat unless they had to, more often than not. Some delicacies, like grubs for instance, seem to have been borne from necessity and were eaten for survival. But there are also luxury food items that no one necessarily had to eat to survive, they just chose to eat them because they were extravagant, unusual, or rare.

10. Dormouse

Once upon a time in Ancient Rome, the idea of eating rodents was not nearly so offensive as it is to most people today. In particular, the dormouse was something the Romans had really taken a shine to. About the size of a rat, they would actually fatten these rodents up in advance of eating them to make it more of a meal. 

Romans kept the animals in clay pots where they could be fed and fattened, much the way a goose is confined to force its liver to grow for the production of foie gras. There were little ledges inside so the small beast could even keep itself busy and get a little exercise in its downtime.

When it was ready they would stuff it with pork, vegetables and spices. Then it could either be baked or made into a soup. 

9. Flamingo

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No one would bat an eye about eating chicken or turkey these days. Duck, squab, game hen and a number of other birds are fairly common in grocery stores and on restaurant menus. But there are some birds that, for whatever reason, never really stood out as food and are considered unusual by today’s standards. Flamingo is one of those birds.

Largely symbolic of places like Florida, we generally consider these big pink birds almost decorative, or at least not a food source. In fact, pink flamingo decorations are a somewhat tacky piece of lawn decor. Not so for the Ancient Romans (yep, them again) who may not have met an animal they weren’t willing to roast just to see how it turned out.

Flamingos were not easy to come by in Rome, and they were native to Africa. That meant only those who could afford the birds had any hope of eating them. Serving flamingo was looked at as a status symbol and apparently the greatest of Roman epicureans would stick to the choice cuts like the tongue and brain, as one does. 

8. Ambergris

Ambergris is a waxy substance produced somewhere deep in the guts of a whale. Scientists believe it may be formed inside the whale to grease its insides up and allow it to pass hard objects that it has eaten out of its backside. In fact, that’s also how ambergris gets into the world. Whales poop it out. And then some people eat it.

The substance has what people have described as a “marine fecal” odor when it first appears, but the smell changes as it dries. For years people have prized it for the sweet, earthy aroma that was used as a base in many perfumes of the past. These days there are artificial versions that don’t require hunting or harming whales, but the real stuff can still sell for tens of thousands of dollars if it washes up on shore. 

Back in the day, it wasn’t just the perfume-makers of the world who loved ambergris. Word is that ancient Persians used ambergris in desserts and Casanova included it in a chocolate mousse as an aphrodisiac. No word on whether or not it worked, but considering where it came from it’s probably best to not know the details. 

7. Rooster Beer

In the modern parlance, the name “cock beer” is enough to cause a few jokes because many people are a little childish and that’s okay. But for generations past, cock just meant rooster, and that makes this brew known as cock or rooster beer a whole different kind of weird. 

When it comes to making beer, the recipe typically calls for a variety of grains that need to ferment. Barley, hops, those sorts of things. Most alcohol is made in a similar way regardless of the plant uses. Grapes for wine, perhaps potatoes for vodka. Using chicken is not ordinary. 

Back in the 1780s, people were apparently willing to try anything. A recipe from the time period calls for a rooster to be gutted, smashed up with some spices in a bag, and then fermented with some ale. Apparently some other recipes call for essentially the same thing without the courtesy of killing the chicken first. 

The purpose behind adding a rooster to a beer was not to impart delicious chicken flavor since the brew must have tasted horrible. The idea was that the vitality and strength of the bird would have been imbued in the liquid and, in turn, whoever drank it. 

6. Mock Banana

We take bananas for granted today but imagine a time when finding a way to transport bananas quickly and safely was all but impossible. During the Second World War, a banana was nearly impossible to find because they needed the ships that transported them for the war. They had become a luxury item for people at home who had enjoyed them in the past but could no longer get them. There were even songs written about it.  In order to help placate the banana-loving masses, a new dish was invented. The mock banana. 

Because Britain was importing nearly all of its food and rationing that it had, they sacrificed many luxury items. The mock banana made use of what people had readily available in an effort to reproduce that distinct flavor and texture. Whether it was successful is a matter of historical debate.

The mock banana was a boiled or roasted parsnip or turnip. Once suitably softened, it could be mashed up with sugar and some banana essence, an artificial flavoring that was used in banana candies and such. 

Some of the people who lived through this recalled enjoying them, but also included the caveat that they had never actually eaten a real banana before, either. They would serve the mock banana on bread as a banana sandwich or just as it was in a bowl as a dessert.

5. Saddle Steak

The nomadic Huns were known as fierce conquerors and great warriors. Accomplished horsemen, the idea of how they may have fed their armies is probably something not a lot of people have considered. There are rumors that when they were doing especially well, they enjoyed a kind of steak jerky on the run that most people today would consider bizarre at best and awful at worst.

With little room to store or carry meat, there are tales of Huns taking thinly sliced meat and storing it under their saddles. As they rode, the heat and sweat from their horses’ haunches would cure the meat into a kind of jerky that could be easily cooked later. The salt from the horse sweat and the action of being rubbed between either rider or saddle and horse would serve to keep it tender. 

Historical records about this are hard to come by so there’s no way to know if this was a widespread practice, but it would have meant some savvy Huns would have arguably been eating much better than other people if they were able to better preserve meat on the go. 

4. Pozole

If you’re a fan of Mexican cuisine, then pozole is something well worth trying. It’s a dish often reserved for festivities because it takes a long time to make if you do it the traditional way and can get pretty elaborate. Typically made from pork or chicken with hominy and a variety of vegetables, it’s delicious and filling. That’s today, anyway.

In the past, pozole was treated a little differently. Records of the food date back hundreds of years and the Aztecs served it as only for special occasions as it included hominy, which is maize, and was sacred. 

The recipe gets a little weird when you factor in that there are some reports from the 16th century that chicken and pork weren’t always the meats involved. A missionary named Fray Bernardino de Sahagún wrote that they made the dish with human flesh, which certainly takes the recipe to new heights. 

3. Mummies

If Hollywood reflected the real world, we’d be up to our necks in sinister mummies all the time. In reality, mummies are quite a bit harder to come by these days, and most of the ones that do exist are safely housed in museums. But that’s not to say it was always hard to get your hands on a mummy. By some estimates, there may be upwards of 70 million mummies out there.

The reason you don’t see them everywhere today is that a number of them are obviously undiscovered and a number of the ones that were discovered are no longer with us.  That’s because people ate them.

Literally millions of mummies have been lost to time because our ancestors were under the impression that ingesting mummies could cure just about anything. It got so out of hand that a fraud mummy market popped up in which fresh corpses, sometimes even the corpses of plague victims, were dried out and sold as mummies. 

2. Panda

Not many animals have reached the status of the playful panda. It’s the symbol of the WWF and zoos around the world display them as prized exhibits. Once endangered, decades of preservation attempts have succeeded in bumping these seemingly gentle beasts up the chart to vulnerable. There are between 1,500 and 3,000 of them in the wild, with a number of captive specimens as well. 

For all the playful and adorable things we associate with them today, there seems to be evidence that once upon a time the world delicious may have been used to describe them as well. There is no evidence of humans eating pandas except illegally in recent history. Even in Ancient China, it seems to have been a taboo topic. But if you go back even further, things change a little bit.

Archaeological evidence shows that the ancestors of modern giant pandas, which were smaller and maybe better described as regular-sized pandas, were killed by human hands. Tool marks on remains indicate  that the animals were killed and people of that time certainly wouldn’t have been hunting for sport. The logical conclusion is that they ate the bears. 

1. Cockentrice

No matter how weird a dish from history gets, you can typically count on one thing to be true of it – the food was real. In a very strange way, that is not the case with cockentrice, an animal that never actually existed, so the eating of it should have been a difficult task. 

The fact a cockentrice was not real did not stop people from making it, however. Produced for what must have been only the grandest of occasions, a cockentrice is what happens when you take the front half of a pig and sew it to the rear half of a chicken. The resulting monster, sort of a medieval version of a jackalope, could be stuffed with all manner of other meats and vegetables, and then roasted to produce a centerpiece that people would no doubt be talking about for years to come.

For the truly theatrical chef and the incredibly memorable occasion, the natural escalation of the cockentrice was the helmeted cock. Jokes aside, this dish involved mounting a chicken on top of a pig so that it looked like the bird was riding the other animal into battle. They would outfit the chicken with the coat of arms of whoever was being honored at the dinner.