What can I get for $500?

I love looking at the book section of the New York Times because on the back page a rare bookseller always has an advertisement for their books. I love to look at the books and the prices and think about what I could afford (nothing) and if I had the money, what I would buy. If I had the money to waste, I would love to own a first edition of one of Jane Austen's novels. Last week a rare, first edition of Jane Austen's Emma sold at auction for a little over $350,000. So clearly, I will never own a first edition Jane Austen. I can't even afford her hair.