Scuttlebutt Pipeline

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I kid you not:

LONDON - A diamond encrusted platinum skull designed by the British artist Damien Hirst has been sold to an investment group for $100 million, a spokeswoman for his London gallery said Thursday.

Hirst will be allowed to exhibit the work in an upcoming international exhibition under the deal, White Cube spokeswoman Sara Macdonald said.

“The investment group anticipates selling it within the next few years,” Macdonald said. She refused to disclose the identity of the buyers, as they had asked to remain anonymous.

Full Article

Truth be told, this morbid little blogger would love to own THAT art piece! Hell yeah, I can see it now, sitting upon my desk pretty as you please. Right next to my dragon incense burner, dragon pen, insect and arachnid paperweights. Ah yes, it would make a fine addition. Don’t you agree? Maybe I could put it on the book case with my preserved creatures instead? Oh what a great conversation piece this would make!

Alas I’m afraid that $100 million is out of my price range right now.

Horror enthusiasts, now might be the time to rip open those savings accounts, scrounge around in the sofa seats, and pull out all of the secret caches. Bran Castle, which once housed the warload Prince Vlad the Impaler who was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula in Romania is being put up on the market by Romania’s former royal family. This piece of history and culture could be yours for a paltry $135 million:

BUCHAREST, Romania - Romania’s former royal family put “Dracula’s Castle” in Transylvania up for sale Monday, hoping to secure a buyer who will respect “the property and its history,” a U.S.-based investment company said.

The Bran Castle, perched on a cliff near Brasov in mountainous central Romania, is a top tourist attraction because of its ties to Prince Vlad the Impaler, the warlord whose cruelty inspired Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, “Dracula.”

Legend has it that Vlad, who earned his nickname because of the way he tortured his enemies, spent one night in the 1400s at the castle.

(Full Article)

Now that is what I would call investment property. If you could afford it would you buy Bran Castle? What would you do with it, keep it open for the public or for private rental, maybe even just your own personal use?

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