Realistically speaking, you cannot buy much for a dollar, especially in the US. Maybe a pack of gum or a stick of instant coffee? One dollar is practically nothing, but this is where the irony of life sets in. It’s a legitimate price tag often used to sell things that can’t be objectively priced.
Ridiculous transactions from this $1-category are some of the most remarkable in modern world history.
1. Old houses in Sicily
One time, the Sicilian officials decided to sell 20 historic houses located on its territory for just 1 Euro each. However, there is a catch – the buyer must then fund the house’s restoration, which would cost them at least $25,000. It may seem like a lot, but it’s pennies for rich people, and in the end, you get a whole house in Italy.
2. Chelsea Football Club
Did you know that Chelsea FC is not just any football team? It’s a real football giant that has won so many cups in its history and stands on the same level as Manchester United and Liverpool. But back in 1982, they were in serious financial trouble, with debts of 1.5 million pounds. That’s when Ken Bates came in and bought the club for just one pound! Later, he turned it around and made it one of the best football teams in England. Of course, Bates had to pay off the club’s debts with his own money, but it all paid off in the end when he sold “Chelsea” to Roman Abramovich for 140 million pounds in 2003, making it the most expensive sale of a football club in the history of England.
3. Terminator script
You’ve probably heard of James Cameron and his billion-dollar movies like “Titanic” and “Avatar,” but did you know that more than 30 years ago, he was just a nobody with a script for the first Terminator movie that nobody wanted to work with? Eventually, Cameron said he’d sell the script for a dollar, but only if he could direct the movie and have creative control over it. The movie was a massive hit, making over $80 million at the box office with a budget of only $6.5 million.
4. XIII century castle in Germany
The castles located in Eastern Germany belonged to the state at the time of its existence. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the castles that belonged to the state basically became free real estate that people could buy for as little as a dollar. Many years later, some of the German castles are worth less than their objective price. Helga van Horn was the lucky person who acquired the right to own the most famous castle in Germany, Neuschwanstein, for just one euro. Built for Ludwig II, this place is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful castles in Germany. And since it wouldn’t be fair to hide it, Helga turned it into a very profitable museum.
5. Newsweek magazine
In 2010, Newsweek was sold by its previous owner to another company known as the Daily Beast for just one dollar. This is surprising, considering that a single copy of the magazine was priced at six dollars, which is six times higher than the entire company’s sale price. Moreover, the previous owner of Newsweek paid the new owner 10 million dollars to take over the company’s debts. This was quite a fishy deal but it’s all legit on paper.
6. Coca-Cola bottling rights
Did you know that Coca-Cola, the drink that we all love, was first made by Dr. John S. Pemberton way back in 1886? At the time, you could only get it at soda fountains, but later on, a guy named Asa G. Candler bought most of the company. Candler thought it was better to sell Coca-Cola only as a fountain drink, even after his nephew suggested selling it in bottles. And get this: he even sold the bottling rights for just one dollar because he didn’t think it would catch on. But, fast forward to today, Coca-Cola is a massive company that sells bottles and cans all over the globe.
7. Insulin formula
In 1921, a scientist named Sir Fredrick G. Banting discovered how to create insulin from animals and later purified it. This was a huge medical breakthrough that has saved millions of lives. On January 11, 1922, insulin was first used on a person with diabetes, and the results were amazing. However, Banting refused to make money from his discovery because he believed it was wrong for a doctor to profit from something that could help so many people. Unfortunately, after selling the formula, Fredrick did not have a say in the future of his brilliant invention. It’s a shame that the drug is not as accessible to everyone as he had hoped.
8. Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
Ruth Graves Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie, which became wildly popular. She was an accomplished chef with a college education and owned “The Toll House Inn” with her husband. The cookie was created by accident and sold to Nestle for just one dollar and some chocolate. Soldiers abroad loved receiving packages of these cookies during World War II.
