Your Guide to Funeral Planning | 02.02.2023
Written By: Scott Ginsberg
Reviewed By: William Prout
Cross Checked By: Elizabeth Siegel
How "Premium" Can Premium Caskets Get?
The short answer to that question — very premium. While funerals can be costly affairs in general, there have been many instances when the friends and family of a departed person have gone beyond the extra mile and spent almost a fortune on the perfect luxury caskets in history. A quick look at the years gone by shows us that there are many premium caskets that people have spent a fortune on. Let’s get to know more about these interesting details.
Top 7 Most Expensive Caskets
Curious to know more about some of the most expensive caskets and the price tag they come with? Check out 7 such luxury caskets below.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor’s Casket -In life and in death, Zsa Zsa Gabor made it to the headlines for various reasons. The popular American actress received a very expensive casket as a gift to celebrate her recovery from various health issues in 2011. What’s unique about this casket is that it came with a 24-karat gold plating. Well, it’s no wonder then that this casket retailed for a whopping $40,000!
(Image source: TMZ) - The Xiao En Center Casket - While this may not be a pure gold casket, its other fine details make it a worthy addition to this list. With a price tag of around $36,400, this is the second most expensive casket ever made till date. The Xiao En Center casket was crafted from high quality mahogany wood. It even featured hand-painted accents on the sides, an adjustable headrest and soft velvet interiors.
- Michael Jackson’s Casket: The Promethean -Michael Jackson’s casket, famously named The Promethean, also included elements of gold in its construction. The singer was buried in this luxury casket, which was made of solid bronze, plated in 14-karat gold and had interiors made from blue velvet. The retail price of this popular casket came up to $25,000.
- Elizabeth Taylor’s Casket -Elizabeth Taylor has been immortalized on screen, and perhaps, her casket has been immortalized too as one of the most premium caskets in the history of funerals. Priced at $11,000, this casket sported a Jewish design and, like the Xiao En Center casket, was also made of solid mahogany wood. The interiors were made of soft red velvet and contained a matching red pillow too.
- The Hallmark Bronze Casket -This premium casket costmay not be as steep as its precedents on this list, but it is still among the most expensive caskets in the world. Designed by The Savon Caskets and Urns, this casket costs around $6,900 and has a bronze coating all over the frame. Its interiors are crafted from soft, white velvet and even feature a memory tube. There are also three brush options available, namely the natural bronze brush, the powder gold brush and the black russet brush.
- Robert Wadlow’s Casket -The interesting thing about this expensive casket is that unlike many others on this list, this one did not belong to a pop culture celebrity. Robert Wadlow was a celebrity of a different kind — he was the tallest person in the world. With a height of 8 feet and 11 inches, he was popularly known as The Alton Giant, and he wore iron braces to support his legs. The braces, being poorly fitted, caused a blister that became infected and eventually septic, killing Wadlow. Due to the sheer size and dimension of casket needed for his funeral, the cost went up to $4,500.
- The Kiss Kasket -Priced at $4,000, this is a casket that is a licensed item of merchandise by the rock band Kiss. Its primary specialty is the band’s logo and pictures of the members of the band — all of which have been used to decorate the expensive casket. It is mainly preferred by fans of the band who want to go the extra mile to honor their favorite musicians, even in the afterlife.
Regular price $1,399 Regular price Unit price / per Catima's Choice Regular price $1,499 Regular price Unit price / per Regular price $1,399 Regular price Unit price / per Our Best Selling Caskets
Orion Series
Orion Series
Sale price $1,399 Orion Series
Orion Series
Sale price $1,499 Orion Series
Orion Series
Sale price $1,399
While it may not be practical for the average person to spend around $20,000 for a casket, sometimes, you may want to stretch your budget a bit above the average limit for your loved one. If that’s the case, today, you can find several premium caskets and coffins from online retailers like Titan Casket. If you have a generous budget, you can spend around $4,000 to purchase a customized or specialty casket for your loved one to honor them in a lavish and luxurious manner.
Plan Your Farewell with Grace – Our Pre-Planned Caskets Offer Peace of Mind
Scott Ginsberg
Scott Ginsberg
About Scott
Casket entrepreneur and market disruptor Scott Ginsberg has been a driving force in the casket industry for nearly three decades manufacturing and supplying caskets and building and shaping the direct-to-consumer casket market.
Scott Ginsberg founded Titan Casket in 2016. He owned and developed Northern Craft Casket where he realized the potential of the DTC market. Scott’s desire to support people in their time of need and vision of the untapped casket marketplace emerged as Scott dream of Titan Casket emerged. His interest in this space was born out of his desire to help people, and to shake up an industry that hasn’t innovated in a century that was ripe for disruption as consumers become comfortable making complex purchases online as well as offering more choices.
Scottreceived his BA fromSalem State University andhis MBA from Columbia Business School; he is based in Boston.