The world of collecting often conjures images of coin sets or stamps. But what about the wilder side? The one overflowing with traffic cones, erasers or, perhaps, a meticulously curated collection of… toasters? Gone are the days of solely chasing baseball cards. Today's collectors have embraced the extraordinary.

Unlike traditional collections driven by monetary value, unusual collections are driven by passion. Maybe it’s a childhood fascination with dinosaurs that translates into a lifelong hunt for tiny plastic T-Rex figures. Perhaps it’s a love for travel, sparking a collection of miniature landmarks from every visited city. These collections become a physical manifestation of a person’s interests, sparking joy and igniting conversation.

DUCK DYNASTY

Charlotte Lee of Washington has taken rubber ducks from the bathtub to the Guinness World Record Hall of Fame with her collection of 5,631 rubber ducks (and counting).

NO MISTAKE MADE

Petra Engels from Germany erases the competition with her world-record collection of over 19,571 different erasers from around the world.

TOOTHPASTE TYCOON

Val Kolpakov of Georgia never has to worry about bad breath with his collection of a whopping 2,037 unique tubes of toothpaste from around the globe. That’s a lot of minty fresh!