In what initially appeared a really bad joke apparently isn’t a really bad joke but is actually real!

Incredibly overpriced Italian fashion label Prada has unveiled the ultimate in fashion stationery items – a $US180 ($A237) paper clip! And the worst thing is, it’s reportedly already sold out!

Apparently the paper clip is actually a money clip and makes an ideal gift for complete idiots.

The six centimetre polished sterling silver clip was on sale at New York boutique store Barney’s and is being marketed as a ‘Paperclip-Shaped Money Clip’. And save for a Prada logo, looks pretty much like any other paperclip.

And, yes, Twitter’s had a field day with the overpriced piece of wire. Many questioning why anyone would need a $237 paperclip, while others enthusing they’d like to be in a position to afford one. As they say, all that money doesn’t buy you style!