Odd Collections

Some people collect stamps. Some collect buttons and thimbles. And at least one person collects...airplane sickness bags?

By definition, collectors are pretty obsessive people, but the objects of their affection are infinitely diverse. Here are some of the odder collections we've encountered:

Pianos: Before there was Yanni, there was Liberace—a superstar pianist with slicked-back hair and ridiculous outfits. (Seriously, the man practically bled sequins.) Liberace may be best known for his enormous collections of opulent outfits and furs, but he was also dedicated to his instrument of choice: pianos. At one point, he owned 39 of the instruments. For a taste of insane decadence, visit the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas.

Cars: Jay Leno has gotten a lot of flak for (a) bullying Conan O'Brien, (b) waffling through several time slots, and (c) not being all that funny in the first place. But one thing is certain: Jay Leno has a lot of cars—100 to date, plus another 100 other types of vehicles. His "garage" looks more like an industrial warehouse. What's more, Leno restores the vehicles himself. Stand-up comic by day, mechanic by... no, wait, reverse that.

Pokemon: Okay, imagine a grown woman collecting over 8,000 Pikachu figures and renaming herself "Pika BelleChu." Imagine she drives around in a decorated Pikachu car and dresses up in Pikachu outfits. Oh, wait, you don't have to imagine it, because it's real. Ms. Belle may have a Guinness World Record for Pikachu possession, but would you believe she doesn't hold the record for total Pokemon ownership? That distinction goes to 21-year-old Lisa Courtney, who owns 12,000 pieces of Pokemon memorabilia.

Weird Instruments: Charles Brown III spent his life collecting all kinds of Victorian knickknacks: Victrolas, old slot machines, organs, player-pianos, a music box shaped like a birdcage, and a creepy fortune-telling doll. When he passed away, Brown stated in his will that his house should be turned into a museum. Today, the Bayernhof Museum is a favorite Pittsburgh oddity.

Airsickness Bags: How Niek Vermeulen realized he loved vomit-sacks is beyond us, but there it is: this Netherlands native owns 5,468 such bags from over 1,000 airlines. The question is: How do you explain your request to a flight attendant?

Traffic Cones: To most of us, traffic cones signal (a) construction and (b) gridlock traffic. To Britain's David Morgan, they're just another fun object to accrue. At last reckoning, Morgan owned 137 cones, representing two-thirds of all varieties ever manufactured.

What do you collect?

Related Post: Share Your Nerd Culture, Sparklers!