Facts About The Best Investments In History
Stocks, bonds, mutual funds — there is money to be made in investing in financial markets, but far more excitement to be had hunting at thrift stores and estate sales for a rare find worth millions, or using an insightful eye to snag a piece of land or furniture on the cheap and turning a major profit!
Here are 22 lucky and/or clever people who turned investments of a few—or a few thousand—dollars into big-time returns.
Best Investments Facts
22. Stock Value
Tony Marohn wasn’t looking to invest in the stock market when he bought a collection of documents for $5 at an estate sale, but then he found a certificate for stock in the Palmer Union Oil Company.
After researching the history of the company and discovering its link to the Coca Cola Company, Marohn estimated that the document entitled him to 1.8 million shares in the company!
Unfortunately, Coca Cola thought differently, and waged a legal battle that outlived Marohn, whose family is still trying to collect the $130 million the stock certificate is estimated to be worth.
21. Worth More Than A Thousand Words
Local neighbourhood historian John Maloof picked up a cache of photographs and negatives at an auction for $400—but after poring over the images, he realized he had something special on his hands.
The photographs were the work of then-unknown photographer Vivian Maier, who is now regarded as one of the top street photographers of her time. Negatives can fetch up to $2,000 each!
20. Nest Egg
A trinket bought for the scrap gold value by an unidentified flea market treasure hunter in 2004 turned out to be an almost priceless treasure—one of eight missing Imperial Fabergé Eggs, worth $30 million.
The decorative egg was created by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Tsar as gifts for family members; only 43 out of 50 survive today.
