Billionaire Toys

By Dan Bukszpan, CNBC.com

There are few sensations that can beat the thrill of a frivolous purchase. After struggling all month to make sure that the rent, bills, and car payments are paid in a timely fashion, it can be downright exhilarating to blow a big chunk of change on something unnecessary.

Sadly, the thrill passes once the next billing cycle kicks in. That $300 pair of shoes may have seemed like a well-deserved extravagance, but now it's starting to feel like an ill-advised and anxiety-provoking mistake.

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The morning-after regret of the frolicsome purchase is familiar to almost anyone living on a budget. However, it's something that billionaires never have to confront. They can indulge their whims and buy every toy that catches their fancy, however briefly. This includes antique cars, jumbo jets, and even spaceships. No urge is too outrageous and no desire is too extravagant.

What are some of the toys that the world's billionaires have bought for themselves?

Bill Gates - Leonardo Da Vinci's JournalPrice: $31 million

To most people in the industrialized world, Bill Gates needs no introduction. Microsoft's chairman has been one of the richest people in the world for nearly two decades, and he has held the title for wealthiest overall on numerous occasions. As of March 2011, his approximate net worth is said to be $56 billion .

Gates has not been shy about purchasing items that can be described as "big ticket." This includes one of Leonardo Da Vinci's few surviving scientific journals, which he purchased at a 1994 auction for almost $31 million . Rather than keep it to himself, he had it scanned and made its contents available to the general public, who can buy it on CD for $30, or less than 0.0001 percent of his original purchase price.



Steven Spielberg - Movie MemorabiliaPrice: $60,500
Movie director Steven Spielberg has helmed some of the most popular films of all time, such as "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." In 2011, he was said to have a net worth of $3 billion .

In 1982, he purchased a piece of movie memorabilia at a Sotheby's auction for $60,500 . The item was "Rosebud," the sled from the 1941 Orson Welles classic film "Citizen Kane." At the time of its purchase, it was the most expensive movie prop ever sold.



Victoria Beckham - Gold iPhone
Price: $36,000

Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham is a regular fixture in supermarket tabloids. Technically, she should be ineligible for inclusion in this slideshow, as she and her husband, footballer David Beckham, have a collective net worth of only $271 million , well short of $1 billion. However, they engage in displays of conspicuous consumption that rank right up there with those of billionaires.

One such purchase was noted in February 2011 by The Daily Mail , who caught Beckham at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport carrying a custom-made gold iPhone. The device cost just under $36,000, and featured a photo of her dreamy athlete husband in all his shirtless glory as its wallpaper.


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