An old bottle of whisky, sporty car or nice watch; gifts that can come with a hefty price tag. Yet it can always be taken a (considerable) step further and a gift can cost the generous giver tens of millions or even billions. These are the five most expensive gifts ever given.
5. Tina Ambani's yacht (€78 million)
At the time of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani's death in 2002, his company, Reliance Industries, was estimated to be worth €75,5 billion. The company was taken over by his sons Mukesh and Anil Ambani. This inheritance ensured that none of his children were left destitute. In 2008, Anil spent his money on a 34-meter yacht that he gave to his wife, Bollywood actress Tina Ambani. He paid around €78 million for the yacht.
4. Koh-I-Noor diamond (€450,5 million)
In 1849, the British East India Company forced the last Sikh emperor Dalip Singh to abdicate the throne. The British took numerous Persian possessions as spoils of war. The British presented the exploited 186-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, the Mountain of Light, to England's Queen Victoria. At the time, the Queen requested that it be made into a 105,6 carat diamond piece of jewelry as she did not like the sparkle. In 1852 the diamond was cut in Amsterdam. The value of the crown jewel today is a whopping €450,5 million.
3. Taj Mahal (€768 million)
The Indian structure is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List, but it was once a gift from an emperor to his wife. The Taj Mahal took 21 years to build - between 1632 and 1653. The gigantic marble mausoleum in Agra was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his - favorite - wife Mumtaz Mahal. She died in childbirth during the birth of her 15th child. After his death, Shah Jahan was also buried here. The total value of the 'gift' today is €768 million.
2. The Leonard A. Lauder Collection (€1 billion)
American philanthropist and businessman Leonard Lauder donated no fewer than 2013 works of art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 78. The collection, called The Leonard A. Lauder Collection, consists of works of art by Pablo Picasso (33), Georges Braque (17), Juan Gris (14) and Fernand Léger (14). It is known as one of the most important art collections of the Cubism art movement in the world. The works of art are estimated to be worth €1 billion and are the largest donation to a museum ever.
1. Treaty of Alliance (€18,6 billion)
In 1778, after three years of war with Great Britain, the United States was short of money and signed a treaty of alliance with France. This treaty gave them an unlimited supply of weapons and military support to win the American Revolutionary War and included enough money to get through the war. On September 3, 1783, the war resulted in the independence of the United States. Today it remains the most expensive gift ever given in history with a value of €18,6 billion.