Some of us are into bowling, others love traveling, nature, or rock hunting. Does that mean you collect all the bowling balls to make a giant pyramid, or gather every single mosquito you’ve ever killed, or arrange the keys of every hotel and motel you’ve ever been to? Well, for these people, it does indeed.
Meet the collectors of the most random items out there, who prove that nothing is off-limits when it comes to human curiosity.
From a shark tooth collection to a collection of every insect found at home in Australia, Bored Panda has compiled a list full of the most bizarre, wonderful, and entertaining assemblages. Scroll down, upvote your favorites, and let us know what you adore collecting in the comment section below!
#1 This Is One Of Several Alphabets Assembled By Belgian Type Designer Clotilde Olyff From Stones Collected At The Beach
Image credits: amazon.com
#2 I Started Feeding Bar Nuts To These Crows That Are Regular To The Patio Of A Bar I Work At. My Collection Of Gifts Finally Started After 3 Months
Image credits: saroj7878
#3 My Doctor Has A Kept All The Pictures Kids Have Drawn Of Him
Image credits: Drewskie888
It turns out, humans have always been drawn to collecting things. In the 19th century, aristocratic collectors would amass books, zoological and biological specimens, art and decorations that were all considered a status symbol.
The Victorian era gave birth to the cabinet of curiosities, which referred to space specially designed to arrange, display, and store one’s collectibles. Many of these cabinets have become the first museums that exhibited curated collections.
But the urge to collect things starts as early as our childhood. Most of us had our own little collections of keychains, stamps, or Legos. However, only a few people devote their time and effort to their collected items as they reach adulthood.
#4 A Year Ago, I Started Staying In And Peircing State Quarters, Instead Of Going Out And Getting In Trouble. Here Is My Collection So Far
Image credits: OfeyDofey
#5 Perfectly Round Rocks I Found On The Beach. Bonus: Egg, Dorito, And Watermelon Rock
Image credits: lbm216
#6 This Is My Periodic Table Of Elements With Actual Elements
Image credits: electricfoxyboy
For many, it offers the thrill of the hunt, which draws them in. Most collectors develop an emotional attachment to their objects where each one carries a story. Ask a record collector about their display, and they will happily tell you a two-hour-long story about the first vinyl they got their hands onto.
Nostalgia may also be the driving force of collecting, and it’s usually visible in the historical collections that require a great deal of knowledge and context.
#7 My Grandfather's Pencil Sharpener Collection I Inherited
Image credits: mattygraddy
#8 This Man's Collection Of Lost Apples Varieties
Image credits: bukithd
#9 Collection Of Reference Seeds Found In My Grandad’s Attic
Image credits: HungryBanana07
#10 Over The Past 15 Years My Dad Collected 1,785 Bowling Balls And Built A Giant Bowling Ball Pyramid
Image credits: buildingsonfire
#11 The Product Of 15 Years Collecting Shedded Antlers From The Woods
Image credits: Baker359
#12 Since The Late 80s, My Office Has Been Collecting Used Staples That Were Removed From Documents That Needed To Be Microfilmed/Scanned. Here Is That Collection
Image credits: clowns_will_eat_me
#13 Our Tire Sticker Ball Turned 6 Today
Image credits: Whitlow14
#14 My Grandma With Her Birdhouse Collection
Image credits: Moeiekoe
#15 Some Of My Favorite Arrowheads. Amazing Little Pieces Of History Collected On Our Private Property In Southern Arizona
Image credits: JediWithAnM4
#16 2 Years Of Collecting Sea Glass
Image credits: BlueDingoMagic
#17 My Sand And Dirt Collection From Every Place I Visited
Image credits: jkarnsy
#18 My Girlfriend Cleaning Her Monopoly Collection
She has about 600. There are some duplicates and most are sealed. The oldest one is from the 1940’s I think. My favorite is the Harley Davidson one which weighs about 20 pounds
Image credits: eoin27
#19 My Four-Leaf-Clover Collection (Plus A Couple Five-Leafers In The Middle)
Image credits: mardo4
#20 The Airbnb That I’m Staying In Has A Collection Of Rubber Ducks In The Bathroom Wall
Image credits: toast_but_cool
#21 I'm 14 And Here Is A Picture Of Me And My Chess Medals
Image credits: NXHQA
#22 My 100% Complete Collection Of Every LEGO Shield Ever Made
Image credits: Tusserte
#23 This Collection Of Objects Swallowed By Children
Image credits: boxesofcats-
#24 My Shark Tooth Collection
I found them all on the beach
Image credits: 000Demon000
#25 I Helped My Dad Alphabetize His Vinyl Collection
Image credits: mr_gr1mm
#26 My History Teacher's Presidential PEZ Collection
Image credits: ParanormalPoptart
#27 This Is My Gameboy Mosaic Made Out Of Gameboy Games. Note: No Games Were Harmed And All Are Removable And Playable
Image credits: Mezmoron
#28 Weapons Collection From The Royal Armouries In Leeds, UK
Image credits: mwng2020
#29 Marble Collection From The 1800s. All Made From Polished Semi-Precious Stones
Image credits: ExcitingTopic
#30 My (87-Years-Old) Father's "Ugly" Golf Ball Collection
My old man, who is now pushing 90 and can't get out to play anymore, was always the guy who would hit his shot, then poke around in the woods and ponds looking for golf balls. He saved buckets of good golf balls, but his real pride and joy is his collection of "ugly golf balls". He was overjoyed any time he'd find a rotten old ball that had been hit by a mower and left to decay. The guy got a hole-in-one once, complete with a big plaque. He promptly lost that golf ball. But he invites strangers into his home to show them his ugly golf ball collection. It's the little things!
Image credits: AmishAirline
#31 Local Pharmacy Has A Display Of Antique Medicines
Image credits: Lnzy1
#32 My Aunt Has A Spoon Collection That Has A Tiny Spoon Collection Right Above It
Image credits: EsachIsLearning
#33 Friend's Mom In Australia Has A Collection Of What She Found In Her Home
Image credits: dimkaberlin
#34 I Collect Rocks That Look Like Eggs
Image credits: Slamchops
#35 My Granddad's Tool Collection In His Shed
Image credits: Mirither
#36 I Collect Food Shaped Erasers
Image credits: SecretAgentKatManx
#37 My Entire Bow Tie Collection, Minus The One I'm Wearing Now
Image credits: jeremiah213
#38 A Small Part Of My Vintage Camera Collection
Image credits: MrRabinowitz
#39 Someone Had All The Failed Presidential Candidates Bumper Stickers On Their Car
Image credits: kefkaownsall
#40 My Mom Collects Sand From Beaches All Over The World
Image credits: Chamaleon
#41 My Game Collection Is Finally Out Of Storage! Wife Surprised Me By Building Shelves As An Anniversary Gift Today
Image credits: uncleseeth
#42 My Dad's Little Metal Detecting Museum
Image credits: Wessel-P
#43 An Array Of Cake Pans Collected In The Lifetime Of My Late Grandmother Taken From A Roof Top
Image credits: alxs21492
#44 My Dice Collection
Image credits: dr_lugh
#45 My Grandfather Used All Of His Hotel/Motel Keys He Received From His Job As A Travelling Salesman And Made Them Into A Map Of The US
Image credits: llamantha
#46 My Copy Editor Father's Collection Of Worn Down Pencils
He started using them on the recommendation of one of my teachers back when I was in high school. He's got a whole box full of them. I'm not sure about the exact make, but the brand is Palomino if anyone is interested.
Image credits: OhBall
#47 The Only Remaining Picture Of My Childhood Star Wars Collection
Image credits: FancyPantsBlanton
#48 My Dad's Lifelong Collection Of Matchbooks
Image credits: rukittenmerightmeow-
#49 A Collection Of Things My Local Shop Has Pulled Out Of Flat Tires
Fun fact: the white circle in the top left is one of those security tags for clothes.
Image credits: meepmorpart
#50 The Amount Of Train Tickets I’ve Collected By Commuting To University For One Year
Image credits: Zeth_101
#OddThingsPeopleCollect #Collections #People #TheMostInterestingCollectionsFromAroundTheWorld #IncredibleCollections
