The largest and most expensive collections. Star collections The largest collections in the world

The unusual find was made after representatives of the Protestant community Celebration Church in Lakeville (Minnesota, USA) came to inspect the house bequeathed to the church by the recently deceased parishioner Dennis Erickson, according to Kare11.com.

Dennis Erickson, who died last December, in his will donated the house and everything in it to the parish of Celebration Church, of which he had been a member for many years.

Lisa Lundstrom, head of the financial service of the community, said in a commentary for the publication that the first visit to the house transferred to the church made an indelible impression on her.

“When I entered, I was breathless,” she testified: practically all the rooms in the house, all the free space - from the hallway to the bedrooms - was filled with shelves, on which thousands of scale models of cars were stored. “Literally: from floor to ceiling, in every single room.”

Even in the corridors, in the laundry room and in the bathrooms, shelving was installed on the walls.

It took several weeks to inventory the collection. According to the compiled catalog, it contains more than 30 thousand car models.

“This is one of the largest collections in the world,” said L. Lindstrom.

Dennis Erickson and his only and main passion

A resident of Lakeville, an engineer by training, Dennis Erickson began collecting model cars at the age of nine and devoted all his free time to this hobby.

He was a frequenter of antique shops and a regular visitor to car shows, devoting a lot of time to searching for models on the Internet. Until the last days of his life, Erickson made orders for the purchase of various models, and some of them continue to arrive by mail to his address even after his death.

Dennis Erickson was the only child in the family. He lived in the house with his parents, and after their death he became its only inhabitant. The Lakeville church member never married and had no children.

In addition to a huge collection of car models, D. Erickson collected and cataloged thousands of brochures on automotive topics. The shelves on which his collection was stored, he assembled with his own hands. The shelves were covered with Plexiglas to protect the models from dust.

“He took better care of these little cars than people take care of each other,” said Lisa Lindstrom.

Dennis Erickson died at his home in his sleep at the age of 69.

The fate of the Erickson collection

Since D. Erickson did not have a family, the Celebration Church took care of organizing his funeral.

It was decided to sell the Dennis Erickson collection. Lisa Lindstrom, appointed in the will as the executor of D. Erickson's estate, believes that the unique collection will probably be sold in large parts, since the sale of a collection of many thousands of individual models may take too long.

L. Lindstrom estimates that the Lakeville church could generate six figures from the sale of Dennis Erickson's collection, most of which will go to the Celebration Church community. The church already has plans for this money: the community intends to direct the funds to the development of youth ministry.

"I think using the gift that Dennis gave to influence future generations is exactly what he would want," said Celebration Church pastor Derrick Ross.

The largest collections of car models

The origins of modern model car collecting date back to the 1940s. The authors of the idea of ​​a scale model of the car were sales agents of the largest French automobile concerns.

To make it easier for the future buyer of the car to imagine his purchase, salesmen began to carry with them exact models-copies of the offered cars. And the most popular scale today, 1:43, was chosen on the basis of numerous consultations with engineers, artists and even doctors. According to experts, models of this particular scale are both visual and easy to manufacture. Over time, models of other sizes appeared, multiple or close in multiplicity to 43 - 1:87, 1:160, 1:24, 1:12.

However, 1:43 remains the most common and popular format. The collection discovered in Lakeville is made up of models of this particular scale.

As of January 2014, Lebanese Nabil Karam (Nabil "Billy" Karam) was considered the holder of the official Guinness record for collecting model cars. More than 30 thousand unique models were collected in his collection.

However, a resident of San Antonio (Texas, USA) Hank Hammer (Hank Hammer) since 1968 has collected a collection of almost 36.5 thousand scale models. And taking into account the accompanying artifacts (brochures, catalogs, automotive-themed souvenirs, etc.), this collection has about 100,000 items.

At the same time, the collector preferred Porsche car models.

By now, Hank Hammer has abandoned his former passion. His collection is stored in two specially equipped houses with a total area of ​​​​about 280 square meters. m.

These Guinness World Record holders have amassed the largest collection of things in the world that you would never have thought to start collecting.

1. Covers for umbrellas

Nancy Hoffman from Peaks Island (Maine, USA) owns the largest collection of umbrella covers (730 unique pieces). You can visit her museum, which she created on her home island, and even sing along to her accordion in person.

2. Bottled water labels

Italian Lorenzo Pescini has a collection of labels from 8650 types of bottled water from 185 different countries and 1683 different sources.

3. Troll dolls

Sherri Groom of Ohio set the record by collecting 2,990 unique troll dolls in 2012. Now the collection has grown to 3500 dolls.

4. Hygiene air bags (in case of vomiting)

Nick Vermeulen from the Netherlands collected 6,290 airsick air travel packages from 1,191 different airlines in nearly 200 countries.

5. Miniature chairs

Barbara Hartsfield is the owner of a collection of 3,000 miniature chairs that she has been collecting for over 10 years. After she got into the Guinness Book of Records in 2008, she opened her own museum in Georgia.

6. Daleks

The official record in 2011 is held by Briton Rob Hull, who owns 571 Daleks. Now there are already 1202 copies in the collection. The most surprising thing is that Rob is not even a fan of the Doctor Who television series.

7. Dice

Kevin Cook is the world record collector with a collection of 11,097 unique dice. In September 2014, his personal website indicated that he had already collected 51,000 copies.

8. Teddy Bears

Jackie Miley of South Dakota collected 7,106 Teddy Bears in 2011 when she set the record. Now she already has 7790 bears.

9. Winnie the Pooh and all-all-all

Deb Hoffman also loves bears, mostly Winnie the Poohs, she has 10,002 items in her collection related to Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

10. Traffic cones

Briton David Morgan has collected the world's largest collection of traffic cones. It has only 137 different cones, which is about two-thirds of all the varieties ever produced in the world.

11. Talking clock

Mark McKinley of Ohio owns the largest collection of talking watches, with 782 of them at the time of the record, and Mark now owns 954 talking watches.

12. Barbie dolls

German Bettina Dorfman collected 6025 Barbie dolls for a total of 150 thousand US dollars.

13. Toothbrushes

Russian Grigory Fleisher collected 1320 toothbrushes. By the way, he is a dentist.

14. Stamps with birds

Daniel Monteiro from India is the proud owner of the largest collection of bird stamps. It contains 4911 stamps from 263 countries.

15. Do not disturb sign from hotel rooms

Jean-Francois Vernetti of Switzerland has collected 11,111 "do not disturb" hotel signs from hotels in 189 countries. He started his collection in 1985.

16. Flamingos

Sherry Knight from Florida has set a record for collecting flamingos and everything related to these birds. There are 619 pieces in her collection.

17. Paper dolls

Malin Fritzell from Sweden has been collecting paper dolls since 1960 and has 4,720 of them to date.

18. Chickens and everything connected with them

Meet Cecil and Joan Dixon, they have collected 6505 different chickens.

19. Ready meals

Japanese Akiko Obata collected 8083 pieces in her collection. All of them are associated with food and all kinds of food products, or rather, they look like ready-made meals. This includes magnets, stationery, toys, key chains and souvenirs.

20. Card Jokers

Tony De Santis, an Italian magician, owns the largest collection of Joker playing cards. He collected 8520 unique card copies.

21. Surfboards

Hawaiian Donald Dettloff has 647 different surfboards in his collection. From these boards he made a fence for his house, which actually became famous.

22. Sneakers

Jordan Michael Geller broke the record with the most impressive collection of sneakers (2388 pairs). His personal shoe museum in Las Vegas now consists of 2,500 pairs.

23. Napkins

German Martina Schellenberg has collected the largest collection of paper napkins, only 125,866 pieces.

24. Erasers

German Petra Engels has a wealth of 19,571 erasers from 112 countries. There are no duplicates, all erasers are in a single copy.

25. Mobile phones

The German Carsten Tues collected 1563 models of mobile phones, all models are unique and do not repeat.

26. Back scratchers

Dermatologist Manfred S. Rothstein of North Carolina collected 675 back scratchers from 71 countries. Real professional!

27. Toenail Cuticle Samples

Although not a personal collection, Atlantic PATH collected 24,999 toenail cuticles in 2013, and they currently have skin samples from over 30,000 people, and this is for the good of researching factors in skin diseases, including cancer.

28. Pokémon

British Lisa Courtney - the owner of the official record in 2010. At that time, her collection consisted of 14410 different souvenirs in the form of Pokemon. Now in the collection of 16 thousand copies.

Loved collecting postcards, stamps, or chewing gum inserts? Surely these hobbies have passed over the years ... But these people have devoted more than one year to their hobby - collecting, and this is not the limit. Dimitris Pistiolas from Athens owns the largest collection of camcorders, with a total of 937 models ranging from vintage to modern.
Since 2003, Chinese collector Wang Guohua has been collecting cigarette packs, some of which he keeps in his room in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The collection includes 30,000 cigarette packs from more than 100 companies from 10 countries.
Lisa Courtney's Pokémon collection has made it into the Guinness Book of Records. There are 12,113 toys in the collection.
The basement of Ron Hood, who lives in Leviston, Maine, has been converted into a real PEZ candy museum. He now has over 3,000 PEZ toys in his collection, although he considers them “small.”
Farmer Heinrich Kath displays some of his 20,000 beer mugs in Cuxhaven. He does not drink beer himself, but he has been collecting mugs since 1997.
The Wally Hammer collection of rubber ducks was not the largest in the world, although there is not a single duplicate duck in the collection. Her collection of 2,469 ducks was only a few hundred short of the world record set by one California woman.
The Guinness Book of Records recognized Pam Barker's collection of owls from Leeds as the largest in the world. She has 18,000 owls in her collection.
Mary Ann Sell of Cincinnati owns a View-Master film collection of 40,000.
The keychain, bought in Vietnam (where he served as a helicopter gunner), was Ron Tyler, 41, the first in his now massive collection.
Sharon Badgley's collection of Santa Clauses is so large (6,000) that it took her three weeks to put them all together.

For many millennia, the necklace has not gone out of fashion, decorating women's necks around the globe. The materials from which necklaces are made are changing, plastic and crystals are replacing precious stones, but the essence of this luxurious jewelry remains the same - as before, it emphasizes the femininity and beauty of its owner. Let's trace the history of the necklace along with the "Atmosphere".

People began to decorate themselves in the Stone Age. And what could be easier than hanging around the neck the fang of an animal killed in the hunt? Archaeological research confirms that the first pendants were carved from animal bones suspended on a string of salted animal vein. Their age is already fifty-five thousand years. As soon as mankind learned to work with metal, medallions became not so primitive. Bronze and copper elements appeared in them. But in general, we will consider these uncomplicated jewelry to be the prototype of a modern necklace.

Luxurious gizmos appeared in ancient Egypt. Pharaohs wore necklaces made up of many polished and glazed gold plates. Such a necklace, of course, was very heavy, and for convenience, a counterweight was even hung on the back. Finding Egyptian necklaces was not difficult, since the owner was buried with them. The most famous pendant is Tutankhamun's golden scarab beetle.

In ancient times, neck ornaments were treated with special reverence. They were not only an attribute of luxury, but also a sacred thing. For example, the Inca priests wore jewelry made of gold beads woven in several rows, and among the Aztecs, a necklace of bird feathers was worn around the neck of a person before a sacrifice.

A necklace in a more familiar form for us appeared several centuries later in ancient Greece. It was an ornament made of small shells strung on an ordinary thread. A similar necklace was worn even by men as a talisman when they went to sea, as well as on holidays in honor of the gods and wedding ceremonies. In ancient Rome, pendants had a more utilitarian character: all legionnaires wore pendants with their own names. They helped to identify the names of the soldiers who fell on the battlefield and convey the message to relatives. This type of medallion is used in the army today.

In the Middle Ages, only members of the royal family, the spiritual nobility and representatives of the upper class could afford necklaces. The fact is that then precious stones became especially popular - and ordinary people could not buy such expensive jewelry. But the rich had a place to roam, and both women and men. Churchmen's necklaces were often adorned with a crucifix or a Maltese cross, and were made entirely of gold or silver. A sapphire or emerald was set in the center of the cross. And we can judge the jewels of the highest nobility by the many pictures and testimonies in fiction. The record holder was, perhaps, Marie Antoinette, who had a huge collection of jewelry. Among her necklaces were gizmos of such value that even the royal family had difficulty acquiring them. The wife of Louis XVI adored diamonds, one of her most expensive necklaces used stones weighing almost two hundred carats, including pink, yellow and transparent diamonds. Queen Elizabeth I, on the other hand, had a special craving for pearls, which at that time was considered a love stone.

Tighten the noose

Let's go back a little to the origins and remember that the word "necklace" comes from the French collier, which translates as "collar". Such a strange meaning is explained very simply: at that time, most of the necklaces tightly wrapped around the neck.

Collars (or, as it is now fashionable to call them, chokers) became popular in France in the 18th century during the Rococo period, and in the Victorian era they began to be worn by Queen Victoria. Later, in the 19th century, in England, the wife of Prince Edward of Wales, the Danish Princess Alexandra, loved to wear a choker so much that she received the nickname “dog girl” among the people. And such a strong love for chokers was not without reason. The princess had an accident as a child that left a large scar on her neck. To hide it, Alexandra began to wear a necklace of strings of pearls or velvet ribbons studded with precious stones high under her chin. By the way, it is from here that the fashion for “suffocating” necklaces originates, the most extravagant of which were described in the works of the Marquis de Sade.

The most popular in those days were chokers made of velvet or strands of pearls, decorated in the middle with a tablet with various patterns. They were made by the famous French jeweler of the era, René Lalique. Also in the middle there could be a jumper studded with diamonds. But not every beauty could afford such luxury, so jewelers began to make necklaces from less expensive materials: gems were replaced with crystal, and pearl strings with lace.

In the twentieth century, Coco Chanel made chokers one of the main accents of her collections, and they began to live a new fashionable life. Now their fan is John Galliano. He considers the collar to be a versatile piece of jewelry that goes with both evening wear and jeans. But they do not leave the necks of royal persons either, for example, Princess Diana adored pearl chokers, now and then putting them on social events.

On all screens

In our time, the necklace has become an exclusively female attribute, while men wear only strict pendants. Of course, to this day there are varieties of male beads and amulets, but they are used only for ritual purposes. But the ladies have mastered all kinds of complex necklaces that jewelers began to invent. And, of course, celebrities began to wear necklaces. So, the unsurpassed Sophia Loren posed for Vogue in a luxurious Riviera necklace encrusted with diamonds. Its peculiarity lies in the design: the stones are interconnected so tightly that it is impossible to see the places of their fastening. This creates the illusion of a flowing stream.

Marilyn Monroe also had an iconic piece of jewelry. She wore the Moon of Baroda necklace with a pear cut canary yellow diamond in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The words of her song "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" could well be dedicated to this unique stone. By the way, its history goes back half a century.

Elizabeth Taylor once told reporters, "My mom told me that I didn't open my eyes for a whole week after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was a wedding ring." In her huge collection there were almost three hundred legendary jewelry, most of which were bought by her husband, Richard Burton, indulging the desires of his beloved. They cost at that time about twenty million dollars. However, at an auction dedicated to the actress, they were sold for one hundred million. Elizabeth loved jewelry so much that she dedicated a book, My Love with Jewelry, to it. And Liz not only wore other people's jewelry. So, the design of the legendary wandering pearl "Peregrine" was invented by the actress herself, and her husband gave her the jewelry as a result. The pearl crowning the necklace is considered one of the most significant in history. Found in the 16th century in the Gulf of Panama, it has become part of Spain's crown jewels. In 1969, the pearl was bought at auction by Taylor's husband. Impressed by the portrait of Mary Stuart, the actress commissioned Cartier jewelers to create a new ruby ​​setting for her.

And the most recognizable necklace appeared in the movie "Titanic". The necklace with the romantic name "Heart of the Ocean" was crowned with a blue tanzanite weighing fifty carats in a ribbon. Since then, many jewelry companies have been producing analogues of necklaces with blue heart-cut stones. After the release of the film, an exact copy of the jewelry was created, however, this time with a sapphire weighing one hundred and seventy carats. It was sold at a charity auction to the husband of singer Celine Dion, who performed the song My Heart Will Go On in Titanic. Moreover, the “Heart of the Ocean” had a real prototype. This is a blue diamond "Hope" necklace designed by the jeweler Pierre Cartier in 1910. The socialite Evelyn Walsh-McLean bought it and wore it practically without taking it off. After her death, the necklace passed to her grandchildren, who sold it to the jeweler Harry Winston, who in turn donated the stone to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where it remains today. By the way, this is perhaps the most famous unfortunate jewelry in the world: everyone who once wore it either went crazy or was killed. Thus, Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were beheaded, and the Princess de Lamballe was beaten to death by a mob. In 1911, the owner of the pendant was Mrs. Evelyn McLean, who was not afraid of the dark past of the diamond. However, the fate of this woman confirmed the murderous energy of the jewel: Evelyn's son died in an accident, her daughter died of a drug overdose, her husband went to his mistress, and the owner of the necklace ended up in a rooming house for the homeless.

The Kohinoor diamond is also notorious. It was brought from India in 1850 and presented to the royal family. He is now in the crown of Elizabeth II. Fortunately, for the queen herself, the diamond is harmless, but each of the men who wore this stone was soon deprived of the crown.

practical method

Ladies fell in love with these jewelry for a reason, because they are able to visually lengthen the neck, emphasize the line of the selection and stretch the entire silhouette. To do this, you just need to choose the right model of the necklace. A long necklace will suit the owners of a short neck, which, thanks to it, will look more elegant and graceful. To emphasize the neck, which is distinguished by its beauty and without additional tricks, a light decoration with pendants will help. Choker necklaces are best combined with dresses that open the shoulders and a deep neckline, but long models are also suitable for closed dresses.

And what happens to the trends this season? Of course, voluminous jewelry, which can become a key detail of your image, does not go out of fashion. These models are generously studded with stones, crystals and beads and are perfect for laconic monochromatic outfits.

Ethnic style is no less popular. Combine such necklaces with hippie-style clothes, just don’t overdo it, otherwise they won’t be able to distinguish you from “flower children”.

Multi-layer pearl necklaces are also very relevant, especially if they are decorated with an original brooch-like clasp. Wear them openly, exposing the neck and décolleté line. Also, this fashionable accessory can be worn over the collar of a shirt, sweater or dress.

As a child, we collected candy wrappers and corks, now we collect magnets from different countries, and even reproductions of French impressionists.

And if for some, collecting is just a hobby, for others it is a real passion, manifested in the most bizarre forms. We can say that this is a kind of game for all ages. Everyone has their own toys.

The largest men's collections

Hassanal Bolkiah - Sultan of Brunei - has the world's largest collection of cars. Its fleet includes about 5,000 cars. At the same time, a solid part is made up of rare Ferrari models - among them there are single copies. The collector pays great attention to the brands Rolls-Royce (only 160 pieces), Bentley and Mercedes. In addition, the Sultan is crazy about racing cars and boasts Formula 1 winning cars.

Italian David Bley collects Rolex watches. His collection is remarkable not because it is the largest, but because it is the most expensive: the rarest and most luxurious specimens are collected here. The pearl of the collection is the Stelline Oyster Perpetual Chronometer model, the approximate cost of which is estimated at 320 thousand dollars. Another standout model is the Paul Newman Cosmograph Daytona with a white dial, gold numerals and black subdials. If desired, you can get from 58 to 87 thousand dollars for it.

The largest collection of Scotch whiskey belongs to the Brazilian Clave Vidish - a total of 3384 bottles collected over 35 years. Connoisseurs call this collection "priceless". It presents all types of whiskey - from the most popular to the rarest. Among the most rare specimens is a bottle of Strathmill, released in honor of the centenary of the Speyside distillery. In total, eighty bottles of this whiskey were made. They were offered to buy only a narrow circle of sophisticated, including several heads of state.

The largest historical collections

Philip Ferrari (descendant of the Duke of Cagliari, great German politician) was one of the greatest collectors of all time. His collection of stamps was the largest in the world and included all the philatelic rarities known at that time. And this record has not yet been broken. Philip was called the King of postage stamps - the entire collection was presented in the form of 8058 large lots, some of which themselves contained more than 10 thousand stamps. After the death of the duke, the proceeds from the sale of the collection amounted to over 23 million French francs. It is noteworthy that he died of a heart attack, which happened after an unsuccessful trip for a rare Swiss stamp.

The Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, despite his frailty, was a passionate collector of edged weapons, which served as the basis for the creation of the Armory in Moscow. And his famous son Peter I became the first Russian numismatist. This hobby helped to make a very successful monetary reform in Russia. However, Peter collected not only coins, but also weapons, rare minerals and art objects. During his lifetime, he collected an amazing collection of "The Sovereign's Cabinet", which was subsequently transferred to the first Russian museum formed by his decree - the Kunstkamera.

Extravagant collections

The collection of the German farmer Heinrich Kath has about 20,000 beer mugs (and he himself, mind you, does not drink). Chinese Wang Guohua is happy to showcase 30,000 cigarette packs he has collected in ten countries around the world. Frenchman Michel Pont, a winemaker by profession, owns 100 jet fighters ranging from English Vampires to Russian MiGs.

Notable collectors also included: German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who collected thermometers; our beloved Yuri Gagarin, who collected - what would you think? - cacti (!); writer Georges Simenon, who bought various telephone directories, from which, by the way, he drew names for the heroes of his works; the sinister Cardinal Richelieu is a passionate lover of smoking pipes.

Among his contemporaries stand out Sir Elton John - in his collection of more than 20 thousand points, Barack Obama, who collects paintings of African-American abstract artists, and the great fashion designer Gianni Versace, who is not indifferent to antiques. His mansion, for example, contained two 19th-century cabinets made of cherry wood, subsequently sold for £481,000 and £601,000.

By the way, if we talk about money, it turns out that collecting is a good business. You can always play on the sale of a unique item. For example, Philip Niarchos, a Greek shipping magnate, owns an art collection valued at least $2 billion.

Prominent Hong Kong businessman William Chak paid a record 115 Hong Kong dollars (US$14 million) for a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) porcelain vase. We represent the joy of the former owner of the vase, who bought it for next to nothing at a flea market. So I recommend taking a closer look at your own collection of anything - just in case.