Agree, it would be great luck to find a Picasso original among the old things. However, the reality is harsher than dreams. Despite this, some people were able to discern in ordinary things the source of wealth and prosperity. Plain paper clip, cup of coffee, last name, trash. What do these things have in common? The answer is simple - they made their owners rich.
1. Two boxes of pizza
What do pizza and Bitcoin have in common? In 2010, a hungry developer Laszlo Heinitz, working on the creation of a then-new cryptocurrency, wanted to order a pizza. But due to his employment, he could not do it. Then he offered ten thousand bitcoins in the interior chat to the one who would order him a pizza. The one who ordered the pizza for Laszlo was clearly right. In 2019, ten thousand bitcoins were already worth over one hundred million dollars.
2. Red paperclip
Sometimes completely unrealistic ideas lead to wealth. And an example of this is the story of Kyle MacDonald. At the age of 27, he lost his job and lived in a rented apartment. His greatest treasure was a red paperclip. And then Kyle decided to play a childish game "Bigger is Better." The meaning of this game was to exchange one thing for another, more expensive one. In July 2005, McNodald posted a photo of a red paper clip on his website and wrote that he would change it until he got his own house. A year later, his dream came true.
Interesting fact from Novate.ru: The story has become widely known throughout the world. In 2007, MacDonald became the author of a book describing his adventures. In the Russian translation, it is called “We Waggle Without Looking. One red paper clip that shook the world. " Subsequently, the film rights were acquired by MGM.
3. Excrement
Many people do not even think about what things can bring them a fortune. This story is both paradoxical and genius. In 1961, artist Piero Manzoni invested his money in the conservation of his own waste. He sold unusual canned food to connoisseurs of his work. Two years later, his efforts were crowned with success and he received an equivalent equivalent of gold for his original canned food. But the story did not end there. In 2008, one can of such canned food was sold at an auction for one hundred thousand dollars.
4. Air
Who will pay for the air? It turns out that there are such people, and there are many of them. Two enterprising Canadians decided to bottle and sell Rocky Mountain air. Residents of China's megacities, choking on the air filled with smog, began to buy these bottles. According to the Chinese, they did this in order to test how the air in bottles differs from ordinary air. One way or another, the sale of air brought tangible dividends to the Canadians.
5. Garbage
It turns out that you can even sell garbage. Justin Gignac from New York was convinced that with the right packaging, unnecessary waste could be profitably offered as souvenirs. And so it happened. Glass jars were chosen as packaging. The price was low, and tourists were eager to buy these unusual gifts. Gignac created a website where original garbage souvenirs were eagerly bought by lovers of the extraordinary. Currently, the price of New York trash is one hundred dollars per cubic meter, and according to the website, it has already been completely sold.
6. Stones
Who would have thought that simple stones lying underfoot could bring in a million dollars in income. The concept of making a profit from the sale of stones was born in Harry Dahl's beer bar. And again, the right packaging played the main role. Harry was selling stones in cardboard boxes with air holes. Also, each piece was accompanied by an instruction manual, which explained how you can teach the stone different techniques and how to care for it. Despite all the absurdity, the "home" stones flew like "hot cakes" and brought Dahl a substantial income.
7. Tulips
If in the 17th century a Dutchman was presented with a bouquet of tulips, he would consider you crazy. The fact is that at the time, tulip bulbs were worth a fortune. They were used to buy houses and ships. This was the most significant wealth. By 1637, one tulip bulb could buy the largest house in the Netherlands. However, a year later, the prices of bulbs plummeted, which led to the ruin of many people.
8. Slinky toy
The idea of creating a simple toy came to Richard James when he was working in a factory. After two years of various tests, a slinky toy was born that could gather, stretch and twist in different directions. Initially, shops refused to sell slinks because of its simplicity. But many children liked this toy. And after a while, James made a million dollars. All slink toys sold can be wrapped around the globe one hundred and fifty times.
9. Cup of coffee
Could coffee spilled on a knee bring in half a million dollars? Maybe if this is about McDonald's. This is what happened with Stella Liebeck. When she ordered coffee, she accidentally spilled it on her knee and suffered a third-degree burn. The fact is that coffee in fast food chains like McDonald's must be at a certain temperature so that the customer can drink it quickly. In this case, the coffee was too hot.
10. Name
What's in your name? It turns out to be wealth. Florida-based Jason Sadler sold his name to another one. On a specially created website Buymylastname, he published a statement that he was ready to give up his surname and take a new one, for which he would be offered a decent fee. So, throughout 2013, Jason had the surname Headsets.com - the name of a site that sells telephone equipment.
But many do not know that American toilets do not have cleaning brushes for this reason.