Wealth | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/wealth/RSS feed for WealthenFri, 03 Apr 2026 16:57:53 +0000The Titanic's Wealthiest Victim Was Carrying a Gold Pocket Watch When He Died. Now, It Could Sell for $500,000 at Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-titanics-wealthiest-victim-was-carrying-a-gold-pocket-watch-when-he-died-now-it-could-sell-for-500000-at-auction-180988475/John Jacob Astor IV was returning from his honeymoon with his wife, who survived the 1912 disaster. His pocket watch and gold pencil case are going up for sale this monthFri, 03 Apr 2026 16:57:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-titanics-wealthiest-victim-was-carrying-a-gold-pocket-watch-when-he-died-now-it-could-sell-for-500000-at-auction-180988475/The Brilliant Blue Paint Covering This Lavish Room in Ancient Pompeii May Have Cost More Than Half the Annual Salary of a Roman Foot Soldierhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-brilliant-blue-paint-covering-this-lavish-room-in-ancient-pompeii-may-have-cost-more-than-half-the-annual-salary-of-a-roman-foot-soldier-180988374/Researchers have estimated how much the home's owners may have paid to paint the small sacrarium, calculating the price of the Egyptian blue pigment and the hours of labor required to prepare itWed, 18 Mar 2026 19:38:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-brilliant-blue-paint-covering-this-lavish-room-in-ancient-pompeii-may-have-cost-more-than-half-the-annual-salary-of-a-roman-foot-soldier-180988374/The Berlin Cathedral Is Reopening Its Massive Crypt—Home to the Bones of One of Europe’s Most Powerful Dynastieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-berlin-cathedral-is-reopening-its-massive-crypt-home-to-the-bones-of-one-of-europes-most-powerful-dynasties-180988274/The crypt, which has been closed for renovations for the past six years, houses coffins containing members of the House of HohenzollernFri, 27 Feb 2026 20:56:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-berlin-cathedral-is-reopening-its-massive-crypt-home-to-the-bones-of-one-of-europes-most-powerful-dynasties-180988274/Ancient Pompeii's Elite May Have Built Lavish Towers on Top of Their Villas. Here's What They May Have Looked Likehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-pompeiis-elite-may-have-built-lavish-towers-on-top-of-their-villas-heres-what-they-may-have-looked-like-180987661/Digital reconstructions are bringing structures to life that may have collapsed during Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E. Researchers think these towers symbolized their owners' wealth and influenceMon, 17 Nov 2025 20:01:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-pompeiis-elite-may-have-built-lavish-towers-on-top-of-their-villas-heres-what-they-may-have-looked-like-180987661/This Rare Fabergé Egg Might Set a World Record at Auction for the Third Time in Its Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-faberge-egg-might-set-a-world-record-at-auction-for-the-third-time-in-its-history-180987537/Commissioned by the Russian emperor Nicholas II, the diamond-covered Winter Egg is expected to fetch $27 million when it goes under the hammer in London on December 2Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:18:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-faberge-egg-might-set-a-world-record-at-auction-for-the-third-time-in-its-history-180987537/Ireland Makes a Program Offering Basic Income for Artists Permanenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ireland-makes-a-program-offering-basic-income-for-artists-permanent-180987523/After a successful three-year pilot, the country will continue to provide 2,000 artists with $1,500 per monthFri, 17 Oct 2025 16:38:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ireland-makes-a-program-offering-basic-income-for-artists-permanent-180987523/You Can Buy These Gilded Age Jewels That Once Belonged to the Vanderbilt Familyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-these-gilded-age-jewels-that-once-belonged-to-the-vanderbilt-family-180987398/The collection, which will hit the auction block in November, includes a fragment of the tiara that Gladys Vanderbilt received upon her marriage to a Hungarian countFri, 26 Sep 2025 21:02:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-these-gilded-age-jewels-that-once-belonged-to-the-vanderbilt-family-180987398/Archaeologists Are Investigating an Ancient Mosaic Depicting Sandals That Look Strangely Like Modern Flip-Flopshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-are-investigating-an-ancient-mosaic-depicting-sandals-that-look-strangely-like-modern-flip-flops-180987214/The colorful artwork decorates the frigidarium of the Villa Romana del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in SicilyFri, 22 Aug 2025 16:51:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-are-investigating-an-ancient-mosaic-depicting-sandals-that-look-strangely-like-modern-flip-flops-180987214/Archaeologists Stumble Onto Sprawling Ancient Roman Villa During Construction of a Road in Francehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-stumble-onto-sprawling-ancient-roman-villa-during-construction-road-in-france-180986800/Located near Auxerre, the grand estate once possessed an exorbitant level of wealth, with thermal baths and heated floorsFri, 13 Jun 2025 19:44:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-stumble-onto-sprawling-ancient-roman-villa-during-construction-road-in-france-180986800/The Original Birkin Bag Was Made After Actress Jane Birkin Spilled Her Belongings on the CEO of Hermès in 1983https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-original-birkin-bag-was-made-after-actress-jane-birkin-spilled-her-belongings-on-the-ceo-of-hermes-in-1983-180986756/The iconic accessory would become one of the most expensive handbags in fashion history. Now, the prototype is heading to the auction block, where it's likely to fetch an exorbitant sumWed, 11 Jun 2025 13:53:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-original-birkin-bag-was-made-after-actress-jane-birkin-spilled-her-belongings-on-the-ceo-of-hermes-in-1983-180986756/