Most people would never even consider the value of a beer can, save that of what the scrap might be worth for recycling. Like soda cans, they're just the packaging for the product we're really interested in. We drink them, often crush the can, and then throw them away. After all, one can of Budweiser looks exactly like the rest of them, right? Well, perhaps they do nowadays, but that hasn't always been the case.
Standard cans have no value at all - if you want to become a beer can collector, you should keep an eye out for limited editions, commemorative packaging and anything else which is clearly a temporary design feature. Beer enthusiasts will pay big money to get their hands on limited runs in years to come. A gentleman called Jeff Lebo, who lives in Pennsylvania, spent 40 years collecting every can of beer he drank. In 2015, the entire collection of 87,000 cans was valued at over $1.5m. The pick of his range were flat top beer cans from the late 1930s, which can be worth up to $1000 per can.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.