One thing has remained true about people throughout history: Some live to show off wealth in the most spectacular fashion. George IV had lived a playboy lifestyle. He was addicted to gambling, having amassed the equivalent of more than $800,000 in debt by the time he was in his 30s (via Scottish Field).
Once in 1801, a jeweler publicly accused George IV of non-payment, as Steven Parissien wrote in the biography, "George IV: the Grand Entertainment." Jeweler Nathaniel Jeffreys first posted his grievance in newspapers that he was owed more than £16,000 (approximately $19,000 in 2022). When that failed to catch any of the royal family's attention, he escalated to having a book published in 1806 outlining every pound owed.
Most of George's money went towards his habit of purchasing expensive wares from abroad to decorate his residences. According to the Royal Collection Trust, George bought anything and everything of value. There are thousands of documents preserved by the collection related to the purchases of china, jewelry for his mistresses, clocks, porcelain figures, exotic textiles, and a myriad of commissioned paintings -– he was a collector, to say the least.
George also enjoyed collecting expensive well-crafted furniture from Europe, including the Roentgen desk, which with the turn of a key could trigger its components to unfold.
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