Collectors: Crazy Collections Around Which Crazy Money Swirls

Did you, as kids, collect little things in boxes under your bed and arrange your mini-collections? Napkins, sugar packets from cafes, postage stamps, cards, teddy bears… these are all common items that children usually collect, only to outgrow them and later, as a rule, throw them away. However, there are those for whom it is not so. Some people turn such habits of storing various items into huge collections over the years, and even crazier is that they can reach incredible sums. While most collections that people have are quite ordinary, there are those that, to say the least, leave us in awe.

Business Insider recently told the story of a man from Singapore, Jian Yang, who owns one of the largest collections of Barbie dolls in the world. This 44-year-old advertising expert has more than 12 thousand of them! However, he admits that he does not have a final count of the dolls he has bought because at some point he stopped counting, and the entire collection is so large that it does not fit in his house. Therefore, part of the dolls is at his parents’ house, part in the office, and part even in rented storage units. And if you thought those dolls sit at home collecting dust – you are sorely mistaken! Namely, Yang takes the dolls out, and depending on the occasion he is going to, he chooses a doll to accompany him.

Collections of Drinks and Food

But he is not the only one who owns a collection of unusual items. John Burley holds the world record for the largest collection of unopened Coca-Cola bottles. This gentleman has turned his fascination with the famous brand into an incredible collection of over 600 bottles of the fizzy drink, reports Bobvila.com. His collection includes rare bottles made in honor of ‘Star Wars’, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and other major world events. And although an average bottle of Coca-Cola does not cost much, Burley’s collection is estimated at over 156 thousand dollars.

A similar obsession is held by Davide Andreani from Italy. He has been collecting Coca-Cola cans since he was fifteen and has a collection of special editions and commemorative Coca-Cola cans from around the world. Since 2013, Davide has around 10,600 cans from 87 countries and holds the Guinness World Record.

And if you ever thought you were a big fan of McDonald’s food, believe that you are not even close to Mike Fountaine. This American has seven thousand square feet of storage space reserved for his collection of over 75 thousand items related to the fast food brand – including paper cups, pins, and Happy Meal toys.

And if all that is not strange enough for you, Harry Sperl – known as Hamburger Harry – owns over three thousand pieces of hamburger-related souvenirs. The collection includes small items like ceramic salt and pepper shakers for hamburgers to a massive waterbed themed around hamburgers. Sperl started collecting them in the 1980s, and since the advent of eBay, it has been easier than ever to feed his addiction.

And to not forget every bite of pizza he has eaten in his life, Scott Wiener possesses a plethora of pizza boxes. In his small apartment, he has over 600 unique boxes neatly disassembled and stacked. His collection comes from 42 different countries, which he managed with the help of fans who send boxes from their favorite pizzerias. The pizza lover has written a book on pizza box design and runs his own company that takes interested visitors on tours of interesting pizza-related places in New York.

From Toys to Cones

But it is not all about food. The next time you are looking for a pen, remember Tushar Lakhanpal, who is never at a loss for writing supplies. He owns nearly 20 thousand pens, and in his possession is a pen coated in 22-karat gold that was used by Queen Elizabeth II.

And no, collecting pens is not nerdy. Especially not compared to collectors obsessed with the cult film ‘Star Wars’. However, some collectors specialize exclusively in Star Wars Lego toys. Jon Jessesen is one such fan and proud owner of 272 unopened Star Wars Lego sets. According to Jessesen, it is using the ‘force’ to combine two beautiful worlds together with a passion for movies and Lego product innovations. His collection has grown so much that he plans to renovate his house to make room for it, especially since he is considering expanding his collection to include other Lego sets – such as those from the popular ‘Lord of the Rings’.

And the toys do not stop there. Jonathan Waters owns a thousand toy soldiers, and none are the same. He started collecting small figures when he was five years old and continued into adulthood. Today he often travels the world with his wife in search of new models. His collection of soldiers represents different periods of American and world history, and includes figures depicting the Roman Empire and medieval times.

But wait! Things have not really gotten very strange yet. Up until now, it could be understood, but searching for celebrity hair to display in your own home sounds incredibly strange! But that exists too. John Reznikoff holds the Guinness World Record for the largest and most valuable collection of celebrity hair. He points out that during the Victorian era, collecting strands of hair was like today’s autograph hunting, and although he admits that his hobby is somewhat creepy, he does not plan to stop.

David Morgan, on the other hand, acquired his first traffic cones when a competing plastic manufacturing company sued his company for using the shape of a cone. He then began collecting cones to prove that his design already existed and won. But even after the case was closed, he could not stop collecting those items because he was fascinated by the diverse designs. Today he has around 500 cones of all colors and shapes from around the world, and he is still searching for the elusive five-sided cone.

Crazy Money is Being Thrown Around

However, the whole story about collections might not be so fascinating if enormous sums of money were not involved. Especially in recent years, the pandemic and alternative investment opportunities have sparked immense interest in collecting. This market includes trading cards, art, NFTs, classic cars, comics, autographs, vintage items, sneakers, fashion, and watches, to name just a few. According to some data, the collectibles market was worth about 360 billion dollars in 2020, and just a year later it jumped to 402 billion dollars. It is expected that by 2032 it could exceed a trillion dollars in value, reports Highsnobiery.com.

And this does not surprise us at all. Yang, the aforementioned Barbie doll collector, told Business Insider that especially after the frenzy caused by the ‘Barbie’ movie, he received many messages from strangers trying to sell him their old dolls. Among them was one who tried to sell him vintage Barbie dolls from his grandmother for 1.5 million dollars.

And Pokémon card collectors are not far behind. There have been several events in recent years that have re-popularized Pokémon and thus increased the demand for Pokémon cards and their value. Even Justin Bieber at one point ‘splurged’ 400 thousand dollars on Pokémon cards. For those who are bigger fans of Harry Potter, a complete set of books – first edition hardcover – sold for between 176 thousand and 265 thousand dollars. Namely, all seven novels are first editions in hardcover. So if you happen to still have any cards, tapes, teddy bears, or any of the cult books at home, consider finding them. You might be able to make some money off them!