The largest collections in the world. The most famous collections

For many millennia, necklaces have not gone out of fashion, adorning women's necks all over 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 “Atmosphere”.

People began decorating themselves back in the Stone Age. And what could be simpler than hanging the fang of an animal killed during a hunt around your neck? Archaeological research confirms that the first pendants were carved from animal bones suspended on a thread of salted animal sinew. Their age is as much as fifty-five thousand years. As soon as humanity learned to work with metal, medallions became less primitive. Bronze and copper elements appeared in them. But in general, we will consider these simple jewelry to be the prototype of a modern necklace.

Luxurious items appeared in Ancient Egypt. Pharaohs wore necklaces made up of many polished and glazed gold plates. Such a necklace, naturally, 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 the golden scarab beetle of Tutankhamun.

In ancient times, neck decorations 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 the Aztecs wore a necklace of bird feathers around a person’s neck before a sacrifice.

The necklace in its more familiar form appeared several centuries later in Ancient Greece. It was a decoration made of small shells strung on an ordinary thread. Even men wore such a necklace as a talisman when they went to sea, as well as on holidays honoring the gods and wedding ceremonies. In Ancient Rome, pendants were more utilitarian in nature: all legionnaires wore pendants with their names. They helped determine the names of soldiers who died on the battlefield and convey the news to relatives. This type of medallion is still used in the army today.

In the Middle Ages, only members of the royal family, ecclesiastical nobility and members of the upper class could afford necklaces. The fact is that at that time precious stones became especially popular - and ordinary people could not buy such expensive jewelry. But the rich had a place to roam, both women and men. Church necklaces were often decorated with a crucifix or a Maltese cross, and were made exclusively of gold or silver. A sapphire or emerald was placed in the center of the cross. And we can judge the jewelry of the highest nobility from many paintings and evidence in fiction. The record holder was, perhaps, Marie Antoinette, who had a huge collection of jewelry. Among her necklaces were hidden items of such value that even the royal family had difficulty acquiring them. The wife of Louis XVI loved diamonds; one of her most expensive necklaces used stones weighing almost two hundred carats, including pink, yellow and clear diamonds. Queen Elizabeth I had a special passion for pearls, which at that time were considered a love stone.

Tighten the noose

Let's go back a little to the roots and remember that the word “necklace” comes from the French collier, which translates as “collar”. This strange meaning can be explained very simply: at that time, most necklaces were tightly wrapped around the neck.

Collar necklaces (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, Queen Victoria began to wear them. Later, in the 19th century, in England, the wife of Prince Edward of Wales, Danish Princess Alexandra, loved wearing a choker so much that she was popularly nicknamed “the dog lady.” And there was such a strong love for chokers for a reason. The princess had an accident as a child, which left a large scar on her neck. To hide it, Alexandra began wearing a necklace made of strings of pearls or velvet ribbons studded with precious stones high under her chin. By the way, this is where 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 strings of pearls, decorated in the middle with a tablet with various patterns. They were made by the famous French jeweler of that era, Rene Lalique. There could also be a lintel studded with diamonds in the middle. But not every beauty could afford such luxury, so jewelers began making necklaces from less expensive materials: precious stones were replaced by crystal, and strings of pearls were replaced by lace.

In the twentieth century, Coco Chanel made chokers one of the main accents of her collections, and they took on a new fashionable life. Now their fan is John Galliano. He considers the collar a universal accessory that fits both an evening dress and jeans. But they don’t leave the necks of royalty either; for example, Princess Diana adored pearl chokers, constantly wearing them to social events.

On all screens

Nowadays, necklaces have become an exclusively female attribute, while men wear only strict pendants. Of course, to this day there are varieties of men's beads and amulets, but they are used only for ritual purposes. But the ladies mastered all types of complex necklaces that jewelers began to come up with. And, of course, celebrities started wearing the necklace. Thus, the unrivaled Sophia Loren posed for Vogue wearing a luxurious riviera necklace encrusted with diamonds. Its peculiarity lies in its design: the stones are connected to each other so tightly that it is impossible to see where they are fastened. 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 canary yellow pear cut diamond in the movie 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 mother told me that I didn’t open my eyes for a week after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was a wedding ring.” Her huge collection included almost three hundred legendary jewelry, most of which were bought by her husband, Richard Burton, indulging the desires of his beloved. At that time they cost 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 the book “My Romance with Jewelry” to them. Moreover, Liz not only wore other people’s jewelry. Thus, the design of the legendary wandering pearl “Peregrina” was invented by the actress herself, and the jewelry was eventually given to her by her husband. 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 became part of the Crown Jewels of Spain. In 1969, the pearl was purchased at auction by Taylor's husband. Impressed by the portrait of Mary Stuart, the actress commissioned Cartier jewelers to create a new ruby ​​frame 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 fifty-carat blue tanzanite in a ribbon. Since then, many jewelry companies have produced analogues of necklaces with blue heart-cut stones. After the film was released, an exact copy of the jewelry was created, although 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, “Heart of the Ocean” had a real prototype. This is a blue diamond “Hope” necklace created by jeweler Pierre Cartier in 1910. Socialite Evelyn Walsh-McLean bought it and wore it almost without taking it off. After her death, the necklace went to her grandchildren, who sold it to 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 unlucky piece of jewelry in the world: everyone who ever wore it either went crazy or was killed. Thus, Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI had their heads cut off, and Princess de Lamballe was beaten to death by a crowd. In 1911, the owner of the pendant became Mrs. Evelyn McLean, who was not afraid of the diamond’s dark past. However, the fate of this woman confirmed the murderous energy of the jewelry: Evelyn’s son died in an accident, her daughter died of a drug overdose, her husband left for his mistress, and the owner of the necklace herself ended up in a homeless shelter.

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

Practical method

It’s not without reason that ladies love these jewelry, because they can visually lengthen the neck, emphasize the line of the neckline and elongate the entire silhouette. To do this, you just need to choose the right necklace model. A long necklace is suitable for those with a short neck, which will look more elegant and graceful thanks to it. Light jewelry with pendants will help highlight your neck, which is distinguished by its beauty without additional tricks. Choker necklaces are best combined with dresses that reveal shoulders and a deep neckline, but long models are also suitable for closed dresses.

What's going on with the trends this season? Of course, voluminous jewelry never goes out of fashion and can become a key detail of your look. These models are generously studded with stones, crystals and beads and are perfect for simple 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 the “flower children.”

Multilayer pearl necklaces are also very trendy, especially if they are decorated with an original brooch-type clasp. They should be worn openly, exposing the neck and décolleté. This fashionable accessory can also be worn over the collar of a shirt, sweater or dress.

As children 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 unique form of game for all ages. Everyone just has their own toys.

The largest men's collections

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

Italian David Blay collects Rolex watches. His collection is notable 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, which has 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 Vidis - a total of 3,384 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 examples is the Strathmill bottle, released in honor of the centenary of the Speyside distillery. A total of eighty bottles of this whiskey were produced. They were offered to buy only to a narrow circle of sophisticated people, including several heads of state.

The largest historical collections

Philip Ferrari (descendant of the Duke of Cagliar, a great German politician) was one of the greatest collectors of all time. His stamp collection was the largest in the world and included all 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 Duke's death, 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 occurred after an unsuccessful trip to buy a rare Swiss stamp.

The Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, despite his frailty, was a passionate collector of bladed weapons, which served as the basis for the creation of the Armory Chamber in Moscow. And his famous son Peter I became the first Russian numismatist. This hobby helped to carry out 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, the Kunstkamera, formed by his decree.

Extravagant collections

The collection of German farmer Heinrich Katha includes about 20,000 beer mugs (and he himself, mind you, does not drink). Chinese Wang Guohua is pleased to show off the 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.

Famous collectors also included: German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, who collected thermometers; our beloved Yuri Gagarin, who collected - what do you think? - cacti(!); the 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, Sir Elton John stands out - he has more than 20 thousand glasses in his collection, Barack Obama, who collects paintings by African-American abstract artists, and the great fashion designer Gianni Versace, who is partial to antiques. His mansion, for example, contained two 19th-century cherry-wood cabinets that were later 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 one or another unique item. For example, Philip Niarchos, a Greek shipping magnate, owns an art collection valued at at least two billion dollars.

Prominent Hong Kong businessman William Chak paid a record price of HK$115 (US$14 million) for a Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) porcelain vase. We imagine 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.

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

Dennis Erickson, who died last December, donated the house and its contents in his will to Celebration Church, where he had been a member for many years.

The head of the community's financial service, Lisa Lindstrom, in a commentary for the publication, said that her first visit to the house donated to the church made an indelible impression on her.

“When I walked in, it took my breath away,” she testified: almost every room in the house, every 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 the hallways, laundry room and bathrooms had shelving 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 whole world,” noted L. Lindstrom.

Dennis Erickson and his only and main hobby

Lakeville resident and 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 regular at antique shops and a regular at car shows, and spent a lot of time searching for models on the Internet. Until the last days of his life, Erickson placed orders for the purchase of various models, and some of them continue to arrive in the mail at 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 occupant. 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. He assembled the shelves on which his collection was stored with his own hands. The shelves were covered with plexiglass 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 in his sleep at the age of 69.

The fate of the Erickson collection

Since D. Erickson had no family, the Celebration Church community took care of organizing his funeral.

It was decided to sell off the Dennis Erickson collection. Lisa Lindstrom, named executor of D. Erickson's estate in the will, believes it is likely that the unique collection will be sold off in large parts, since selling a collection of thousands of individual models may take too long.

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

"I think using the gift that Dennis gave to impact future generations is exactly what he would have wanted," said Celebration Church Pastor Derrick Ross.

Largest collections of car models

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

To make it easier for a future car buyer to imagine their purchase, traveling salesmen began to carry with them exact replicas of the cars they were offering. And the most popular scale today, 1:43, was chosen based on 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, multiples or close to 43 - 1:87, 1:160, 1:24, 1:12.

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

As of January 2014, Lebanese resident Nabil "Billy" Karam was considered the holder of the official Guinness World Record for collecting model cars. His collection included more than 30 thousand unique models.

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

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

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

Among the stars there are many true connoisseurs of art who are willing to pay big money for the right to own rare creations. For example, Madonna is a fan of the avant-garde. She collects paintings by Léger and Picasso.

Brad Pitt collects antiques. Of particular interest to him are jewelry, paintings and rare tableware.

Barbra Streisand is proud of her collection of exclusive furniture made in the Art Deco style of the 30s of the last century.

Bill Gates is the owner of the world's largest private collection of books. Its collection includes very rare publications, including the most expensive book in the world - the Leicester Codex, the handwritten diary of Leonardo da Vinci. Bill Gates paid $30.8 million for the rarity.

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH

paintings

Roman Abramovich is considered the most influential collector in Russia and is included in the world list of influential collectors. The billionaire collects mainly paintings by famous modernist artists. His collection includes works by Alberto Giacometti, Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and many other famous painters.

Abramovich purchased paintings by Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon at Christie's and Sotheby's auctions in New York for $120 million; in addition, he acquired a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti “The Venetian” for $14 million. As it turned out later, Roman purchased works of art as a gift for his beloved Daria Zhukova and her Garage art gallery.

PENELOPE CRUZ

hangers

When it comes to quirky collections, Penelope Cruz could easily take the top spot. A beautiful, rich and famous actress collects hangers. They say she collected at least 500 types of hangers. At the same time, the star often adds to her huge collection.

JOHNNY DEPP

hats

The famous Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has several collections, all of them very original. First of all, Depp collects hats. He already has so many hats that they do not fit into the two large rooms allocated for them. The actor buys his favorite pieces for his collection everywhere. There is a known case when he purchased a hat from a homeless man, paying him an indecent amount of money. However, Depp's largest collection consists of figurines of clowns, but not ordinary ones, but evil ones.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Hummer cars

Iron Arnie collects Hummer cars and all-terrain vehicles. Schwarzenegger literally became obsessed with these cars after he saw an SUV created by AM General for the American military. At first, they refused to sell him the miracle of automotive technology, explaining that it was developed exclusively for the Pentagon. But the actor stood his ground.

After negotiations that lasted several months, the concern gave up. Since then, as soon as Hammer released a new product, it immediately ended up in Schwarzenegger’s garage. Today, the actor’s collection already includes more than 80 copies, ranging from a tank to environmentally friendly models running on electric fuel; Arnold acquired them when, following the advice of his image makers, he became a fighter for a clean environment.

QUENTIN TARANTINO

Board games

The creator of Pulp Fiction collects old board games. He not only plays them in his free time, but also keeps them in perfect order. All copies of the collection are systematized by title and genre and listed in a catalog, so the owner always knows what and where he has it. In addition, Tarantino collects vinyl records and rental copies of films.

“For a film lover, collecting videos is like smoking weed. Laserdiscs are, of course, cocaine. And rental copies are pure heroin. It's like you're high all the time. I have a good collection, I’m proud of it,” Quentin admitted in an interview.

DUSTIN HOFFMAN

Teddy bears

Dustin Hoffman's hobby is no less touching than Tarantino's - he collects Teddy bears (the toy got its name in honor of US President Theodore Roosevelt, who refused to shoot a tied bear cub during a hunt); the actor already has several thousand of them. Hoffman stores his collection in special cabinets with glass doors, which allow a good look at the exhibits displayed in them.

TOM HANKS

typewriters

But Tom Hanks collects vintage typewriters with keyboards in different languages. So the actor knows absolutely everything about the ancestors of modern computers. Moreover, he can easily disassemble and then assemble any, even the most complex, specimen. But Hanks has no order in his collection - friends say that both models of cars and their individual elements are always scattered around his house, like toys in a nursery.

REESE WITHERSPOON

textile products

Legally Blonde Reese Witherspoon collects antique linens, vintage fabrics and antique embroideries, mainly on tablecloths. Reese already has a huge collection of truly unique items. The actress buys copies for her at auctions and sales, in specialized antique stores, and she doesn’t disdain flea markets - if you’re lucky, you can find real works of art there.

Witherspoon loves to sort through the exhibits in her collection - she says that contemplating beautiful handmade things not only brings her pleasure, but also inspires her.

HEIDI KLUM

shoes

Top model Heidi Klum collects shoes. While working in the modeling industry, mother of two daughters Heidi has accumulated many pairs of shoes. According to conservative estimates, there are already 2,000 pairs in her collection. The model explains this by saying that she is a very thrifty person. The girl saves and saves something all the time. She even has a separate storage room at home for things. Now the model dreams of one thing: for her beautiful daughters’ feet to grow to the desired size. Only then will they be able to wear out all these boots, sandals, sandals and shoes.

ANGELINA JOLIE

knives

Angelina Jolie doesn't exactly have a ladies' collection - she loves collecting rare daggers and knives. The first dagger was given to her at the age of 11 by the dearest person on earth. She passed this “love” on to her children. Her husband Brad Pitt is interested in much more peaceful subjects - his passion is collecting pieces of furniture and coins that may be of artistic value.

ELTON JOHN

glasses

The most talented British rock singer, musician and composer is a famous collector. Along with rare cars, of which he already has 26, Elton John collects glasses.

His collection includes more than 250,000 different glasses. There are so many of them that on tour in Brazil in March 2013, the artist, as expected, filmed numbers for himself and his assistants, but also filmed a separate number for his glasses! Lenses of all colors of the rainbow, glasses with antennas, headlights and other devices. His collection even includes glasses with wiper blades, like those on a car windshield.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG

bakelite jewelry

If you're too young to remember the Bakelite craze, then in the 1970s, Bakelite (a type of plastic) became popular as a material for toys, buttons, household items, and even jewelry. This is the type of jewelry that Goldberg collects. She has been known to wear her Bakelite jewelry to various events and on The Today Show. She even wore some of them to the Academy Awards. Other Bakelite lovers include Barbra Streisand, Diane Keaton and Lily Tomlin.

DEMMY MOOR

porcelain dolls

The Striptease star may not seem like someone who would be interested in dolls, but Moore doesn't just collect new and vintage dolls, she also collects them in very large quantities. She has so many of them that her ex-husband Bruce Willis bought her a second home just so she could keep her collection there. Her collection consists mainly of lifelike dolls and unglazed porcelain dolls. Unglazed porcelain dolls are renowned for their matte, skin-like finish and large size (sometimes as large as a baby). These are exactly the kind of dolls that can often be seen in horror films. The value of her collection? Over a million dollars.

ROD STEWART

model trains

When it comes to model trains, Stewart may easily be the most avid collector. In fact, he has such a passion for them that the third floor of his Beverly Hills home was transformed into a huge model of a 1940s Chicago train, measuring 7 by 37 meters. The model is complemented by terminals, parks, warehouses and much more. Stewart calls his train collection "very calming" and often goes away to play with it. He even takes some models with him on tour, or builds some of the model elements himself. Oh yes, Stuart is far from alone in his love of trains. His passion for model trains is also shared or shared by Phil Collins, Family Ties star Michael Gross, Frank Sinatra, Patrick Stewart and Neil Young.

ROSIE O'DONNELL

McDonald's toys

Just because you're a rich celebrity doesn't mean you have to collect very expensive items, and Rosie proved that when she started collecting McDonald's toys and eventually turned her entire office into a colorful display. Rosie started her collection the old fashioned way: by going to McDonald's and buying their food to get toys. At one point, she visited McDonald's every day to collect 101 tiny Dalmatians from the famous film. Of course, McDonald's heard about this and decided to send her the entire collection. Her decision? Go on to collecting other toys from the Mickey D series. Rosie's collection includes more than 2,500 items and is constantly growing. When asked why she chose Happy Meal toys, the comedian said they were simple reminders of her childhood.

CLAUDIA SCHIFFER

insects

The model's image does not at all fit with collecting insects, but nevertheless it is so. German model Claudia Schiffer is the owner of a large collection of various insects.

DAVID ROCKEFELLER

beetles collection

The oldest member of the Rockefeller family has a passion for bugs. Insects, not cars. In fact, David Rockefeller Sr. began collecting beetles when he was less than 10 years old (he is now over 90 years old) and even discovered several rare species.

TAYLOR SWIFT

snow globes

Popular singer Taylor Swift loves snow globes! The girl regularly adds new items to her collection and shares their photos on the social network.

DITA VON TEESE

stuffed animals

The extravagant dancer also holds her own when it comes to collecting. In one of her interviews, Dita admitted that she collects stuffed animals: “Antique or “ethical” stuffed animals - I mean stuffed animals that died a natural death. I think they are very beautiful." For the sake of the hobby, von Teese even had to re-equip the apartment in a special way: change the wallpaper throughout the house and create special rooms with an ideal temperature for storing exhibits. Storage for the furry collection was converted from two bedrooms.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND

Gibson guitars

Kiefer can be considered one of the most ardent collectors of Gibson guitars. At last count, he has 38 guitars, which he stores in his studio. He has had a love for these musical instruments ever since he first heard about Jimmy Page and Angus Young.

NICOLE KIDMAN

Jewish coins

When Nicole isn't filming or playing games, she can be found looking at her collection of ancient Hebrew coins.

luxlux, wday, newrezume, plitkar, bugaga

These people, who are in the Guinness Book of Records, have amassed the world's largest collections of things that you would never have thought to start collecting.

1. Umbrella covers

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

2. Bottled water labels

Italian Lorenzo Pescini has a collection of labels from 8,650 types of bottled water from 185 different countries and 1,683 different sources.

3. Troll dolls

Sherry Groom from Ohio set a record by collecting 2,990 unique Troll dolls in 2012. Now the collection has grown to 3,500 dolls.

4. Hygienic air bags (in case of vomiting)

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

5. Miniature chairs

Barbara Hartsfield is the owner of a collection of 3 thousand miniature chairs, which she collected over more than 10 years. After she entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2008, she opened her own museum in Georgia.

6. Daleks

The official 2011 record belongs to 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 television series Doctor Who.

7. Dice

Kevin Cook is a record-breaking dice collector with a collection of 11,097 unique dice. In September 2014, his personal website indicated the number of collected copies was already 51 thousand.

8. Teddy bears

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

9. Winnie the Pooh and everything, everything, everything

Deb Hoffman also loves bears, mostly Winnie the Pooh, and has a collection of 10,002 items related to Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

10. Traffic cones

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

11. Talking clock

Mark McKinley from Ohio owns the largest collection of talking clocks; at the time of the record there were 782 of them; Mark currently has 954 talking clocks.

12. Barbie dolls

German woman Bettina Dorfman collected 6,025 Barbie dolls worth a total of 150 thousand US dollars.

13. Toothbrushes

Russian Grigory Fleischer collected 1,320 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

Swiss Jean-François Vernetti collected 11,111 “do not disturb” hotel signs from hotels in 189 countries. He started his collection in 1985.

16. Flamingo

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

17. Paper dolls

Malin Fritzell from Sweden has been collecting paper dolls since 1960; she currently has 4,720 of them.

18. Chickens and everything connected with them

Meet Cecil and Joan Dixon, they have collected 6,505 specimens of a variety of chickens.

19. Ready meals

Japanese Akiko Obata collected 8083 copies in her collection. All of them are related to food and all kinds of food products, or rather, they look like ready-made dishes. This includes magnets, stationery, toys, keychains and souvenirs.

20. Card Jokers

Tony De Santis, an Italian magician, owns the largest collection of Joker playing cards. He collected 8,520 unique card copies.

21. Surfboards

Hawaiian Donald Dettloff has 647 different surfboards in his collection. He made a fence for his house from these boards, which is what he became famous for.

22. Sneakers

Jordan Michael Geller broke the record by amassing the most impressive collection of sneakers (2,388 pairs). His personal shoe museum in Las Vegas now consists of 2,500 pairs.

23. Napkins

German Martina Schellenberg collected the largest collection of paper napkins, a total of 125,866 copies.

24. Erasers

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

25. Mobile phones

German Karsten Tews collected 1563 models of mobile phones, all models are unique and not repeated.

26. Back scratchers

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

27. Toe nail cuticle samples

Although not a personal collection, Atlantic PATH collected 24,999 toenail cuticles in 2013 and currently has skin samples from over 30,000 people for the good cause of research into skin disease factors, including cancer.

28. Pokemon

Briton Lisa Courtney holds the official record in 2010. At that time, her collection amounted to 14,410 different souvenirs in the form of Pokemon. Now there are 16 thousand copies in the collection.