SortStack #2320 — 2032-10-15

By price · Order from cheapest to most expensive.

1. A US Forever postage stamp $0.78

   Forever stamps never expire and stay valid even after rate hikes — buying sheets before an increase is one of America's tiniest investments.

2. An Oscar statuette, if a winner ever sells it back to the Academy $1.00

   Since 1951, winners must offer their Oscar back to the Academy for exactly one dollar before selling it elsewhere — a rule that keeps statuettes off the open market.

3. A Hermes Birkin handbag at retail, entry size $12K

   The bag was born on a flight when actress Jane Birkin's basket spilled — the Hermes CEO sitting beside her sketched a better bag on an airsickness bag.

4. Dennis Tito's trip to the International Space Station as the first space tourist $20M

   NASA objected so strongly to the 2001 visit that Tito trained in Russia and flew on a Soyuz — NASA staff were initially told not to assist him.

5. The High Roller, the giant observation wheel in Las Vegas $550M

   It edged out the London Eye and Singapore Flyer as the world's tallest observation wheel when it opened — one rotation takes half an hour.

6. Instagram, when Facebook bought it $1B

   In 2012 Instagram had 13 employees and zero revenue. The price was widely mocked as insane — it may be the best acquisition in tech history.

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