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From NASA artifacts retrieved from the ocean floor to vintage photographs, take a look at 7 billionaires' collections
From NASA artifacts retrieved from the ocean floor to vintage photographs, take a look at 7 billionaires' collections
Taylor Nicole RogersJul 16, 2019, 03:14 IST
Chesnot/Getty Images
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Philanthropy is the most popular pastime among billionaires, Business Insider previously reported, but many of the world's wealthiest people also make time to maintain their personal collections.
Philanthropy is the most popular pastime among billionaires, Business Insider previously reported, but many of them also make time to maintain their personal collections.
Some of the world's richest people prefer classic collectors' items like diamond-encrusted Rolex watches and souped-up sports cars; Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has funded teams that have collected rockets off of the ocean floor; and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell prefers vintage photographs, Business Insider previously reported.
The richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, spent three weeks on a submarine in 2013 collecting the booster rockets used in the Apollo 11 mission from the ocean floor.
"I was five years old when I watched Apollo 11 unfold on television, and without any doubt it was a big contributor to my passions for science, engineering, and exploration," Bezos — who has a net worth of $165.6 billion — wrote on the Bezos Expeditions blog in 2013. "A year or so ago, I started to wonder, with the right team of undersea pros, could we find and potentially recover the F-1 engines that started mankind's mission to the moon?"
One of the rockets has been on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle since 2015, according to the Museum's website.
Kylie Jenner, the world's youngest "self-made" billionaire, has been collecting designer handbags "for a minute."
"I've been collecting these bags for a minute," the reality television star said in a video showing off her collection on Youtube. "They're also a great investment."
Jenner's collection, which includes at least four Louis Vuitton Graffiti Speedy bags, three Chanel quilted bags, four Gucci Dionysus bags, three Hermes Kelly bags, and 10 Hermes Birkin bags, is stored in a custom-built closet, Jenner's Instagram posts show.
The collection is worth at least £350,000 ($440,335), according to Elle UK. Jenner herself is worth $1 billion.
Phil Knight has a very private collection of books.
The 81-year-old billionaire kept a library attached to his office in the athletic wear giant's office, according to The New York Times. Knight — who has a net worth of $36.2 billion — only let select employees enter, but before they did, Knight required them to take off their shoes and bow. He told The New York Times that he left his book collection in Nike's Beaverton, Oregon offices after he retired in 2016.
"Of course the library still exists," Knight said. "I'm always learning."
Bill Gates collects luxury sports cars.
Gates' collection, which includes a Porsche 911, a Jaguar XJ6, a Porsche Carrera Cabriolet 964, a 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe and a Ferrari 348, is worth approximately $650,000, according to CNBC.
Gates is worth $103.8 billion, according to Forbes.
Bernard Arnault, the richest man in Europe, collects modern and contemporary art.
LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault, who is worth $102.7 billion, owns pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Maurizio Cattelan, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso, Business Insider previously reported.
Michael Dell has a collection of vintage photographs.
Dell purchased an archive of 185,000 20th-century photos from the Magnum photo cooperative in 2010, Business Insider previously reported. Estimates place the value of the collection at $100 million.
Dell, who has a net worth of $35.8 billion, lent the photos to the University of Texas at Austin, according to Forbes.
"I don't got the bright watch, I got the right watch," Jay-Z raps in his 2006 song "30 Something."
Jay-Z's watch collection includes a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116500, an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and a custom Richard Mille 56, according to Swiss Watch Expo. Jay-Z is worth $1 billion.
A Rolex Cosmograph Daytona retails for $12,400, according to Rolex's website.
