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 from 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.
Learn about the ten strangest collectors and their collections:
1. Bob Gibbins and Lizzie: 240 sex dolls
Bob Gibbins, 60, and his wife, Lizzie, 55, have a rather unusual collection of 240 different kinds of sex dolls that they dress up and take with them on their shopping trips.
Bob says that he has always been interested in these dolls, but his passion began to really develop when he bought various rag dolls and other toys for his two children. He then moved on to buying store mannequins, which he spent two years buying up a rather impressive collection. However, what he really wanted to collect, he realized only when he got on the online forum of silicone doll lovers. In 2007, with the support of his wife, Gibbins purchased his first silicone doll, Beverly, for about $4,000. But that was just the beginning, as the couple continued to buy different types of sex dolls, from cheap inflatables that cost $639 maximum to lifelike silicone dolls like Jessica, who blew a hole in the family's budget by cutting $11,202. Overall, Bob and Lizzie Gibbins have estimated that they have spent about $160,000 since they started collecting sex dolls.
Even though sex dolls are usually bought and used for sexual purposes, Bob says he never used his girls in this way. He admits that he finds most of them attractive, especially given the fact that they are designed with perfect figures, but he considers them all to be members of the family.
2. Graham Barker: The largest (and probably the only one in the world) collection of navel fluff
Collecting navel fluff is probably not a hobby worth mentioning in conversation, but that hasn't stopped the 45-year-old librarian from collecting his navel fluff for 26 years.
Graham Baker from Perth, Australia has been building his strange collection ever since he noticed fluff in his navel one night and wondered how much navel fluff a human could produce. The only way to get an answer to your question was to watch your navel and collect your own navel fluff. Contrary to what many people think when they first hear about his strange habit, Graham isn't obsessed with belly button fluff, and he doesn't spend all his time staring at his belly button either. He is driven by pure curiosity and he devotes only ten seconds of his time to collecting navel fluff, doing this right before he goes to the shower.
The amount of fluff he finds in his belly button each night depends on the type of clothes he wore that day, but he has found that warm underwear is the most productive. Every night he collects his navel fluff and puts it in an earthen jar he bought specifically to store his navel fluff. At the end of each year, he adds that year's navel down to his huge collection. In the 26 years he has collected his own navel fluff, he has been able to fill three glass jars and is already working on a fourth. Believe it or not, his vast collection weighs only 22 grams.
After making it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest collection of navel down, his three glass jars of navel down ended up in the museum for an undisclosed sum.
3 Eric Ducharme Latex Mermaid Tails 
When Eric DuCharme dons his beautiful mermaid tail to explore the crystal clear waters of Florida's natural springs as a merman, he says he's also reincarnated mentally. It's the unique, exciting life of a Florida man who says he eats, sleeps, and breathes mermaids while trying to physically look and act like them as often as time permits.
Ducharme has been fascinated with mermaids ever since he was a child. At the age of 16, he gave his first show, swimming as the merman prince at the Little Mermaid Show "Weeki Wachee Springs" in 2006.
To date, DuCharme has his own business called "Mertailor". He manufactures tailor-made silicone, urethane and latex tails, such as he wears.
4. The largest collection of chewed nicotine gum in the world 
Have you ever heard of someone who rolls chewed nicotine gum into a ball like it's dough? No? Well, then listen.
When Barry Chappell was on an international flight, he started chewing nicotine gum because he couldn't smoke. Due to the fact that there was no garbage can nearby where he could throw the gum, he simply held it in his hand and rolled it into a small ball. Piece by piece, his ball of chewed gum increased noticeably in size. It was at that moment that his amazing idea was born. Why not roll the world's largest ball of chewed nicotine gum and quit smoking in the process?
Now, six years and 95,200 gum later, Barry is a non-smoking superstar. He rolled up a giant ball of chewed nicotine gum that weighs almost 80 kilograms!
Source 5Paul Brockman: A collection of 55,000 dresses he chose for his wife 
If love was measured by the number of dresses, Paul Brockman would most likely have received the title of the most loving husband in the world. Over the past 56 years, the German-born, Lomita, California-based contractor has given his wife, Margo, 55,000 dresses, each of which he chose himself.
The first ten dresses in Paul Brockmann's impressive collection were free. He got them while working at the seaport in Bremen, Germany, where workers could choose what they wanted when the bales of goods were opened. He gave them all to his then girlfriend Margot. After they met for a while, Paul asked for his girlfriend's hand in marriage from her parents.
Margo shared his passion for dancing and they went to the dance floor every week, but Paul wanted her to wear a new dress every time, so he bought her more and more dresses.
Margot never liked to go shopping, so Paul chose and bought dresses on his own. He bought dresses before work, after work, and even during work, sometimes coming home with a pile of thirty new dresses. He bought them during the end-of-season sales and everywhere he saw something he liked. At some point, his obsession with dresses got out of control and he stopped caring about their size.
He never set any kind of budget for his purchases. Sometimes he spent everything he had in his pockets and waited until the next week if he had no money. The most expensive was the dress he spent $300 on and which Margo never wore. As you can imagine, most of the 55,000 dresses Margot never wore.
6. Jian Yang:
The white exterior and spartan gray staircase of Yang Jian's neat house give no hint of what's lurking inside - the pink floor in the living room and his collection of over 6,000 Barbie dolls.
The 33-year-old man from Singapore prefers minimalist décor, but Barbie dolls and 3,000 other dolls fill three of his living room's four walls, nine mirrored closets in his dressing room, and shelves in his office.
Jiang has a professional interest in toys as he is the director of marketing at Omicom Media Group. However, he started collecting Barbie dolls at the age of 13, when he bought a Barbie model called "Great Shape", dressed in a turquoise tracksuit and striped leggings.
His boyish interest has turned into a "crazy obsession" supported by his friends and accepted by his family. He spent over 20 years and $404,681 to build his collection.
Note: Although Jian has an impressively large collection, the 2013 edition of Guinness World Records gave the award for the largest collection of Barbie dolls to a woman from Germany named Bettina Dorfmann, who has a collection of over 15,000 of these dolls.
7. Chris Reid: The world's largest (and funniest) collection of huge water pistols (Super Soaker)
Just look at Chris Reid's crazy collection of huge water guns. The huge squirt gun first appeared in 1989 and quickly replaced other types of squirt guns. With its pumping system, the huge water gun practically gives you the ability to shoot water over long distances many more times than conventional pistols.
In all, he bought about 340 huge water guns, including 240 unique designs (the rest are either other colors or duplicates). His very first huge yellow/green squirt gun, model 50, was signed by Lonnie Johnson, who invented this type of squirt gun.
Source 8Robyn Amato: A collection of 3,000 Raggedy Annie dolls
Despite being surrounded by over 3,000 Raggedy Annie dolls, Tampa, Florida resident Robin Amato can't stop adding to her collection. She never had a Raggedy Annie when she was a child, so her insanity didn't start until she was in her 40s. Now, a 58-year-old Florida woman admits the dolls have taken over every room in her house.
So far, she has spent over $20,000 on dolls, Raggedy Enya cookie jars, and other collectibles related to the doll.
Amato loves to dress up as Raggedy Annie, and takes some of her collection of dolls on her daily walks. She hosts tea parties and also spends daily time in a special bedroom set aside for her Raggedy Annie clan.
Source 9Vic Clinco: World's Largest Collection of Hot Sauces 
Vic Clinko has the largest collection of hot sauces in the world. His astounding collection consists of 6,000 bottles that he has purchased from all over the world. His collection even has a rare bottle of sauce called "Blair's 16 Million Reserve", which is the hottest sauce on the planet. Bottles of sauces from ceiling to floor are lined with all the shelves in the dining room of his house in Phoenix (Phoenix), Arizona. Bottles can also be found in built-in wardrobes and refrigerators.
He has been collecting bottles of sauces for the past 17 years and rightfully owns the largest private collection of hot sauces in the world. Mr. Clinko, who works as a chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, said that the most valuable bottle of hot sauce in his collection costs about $900 and is unique. The most expensive bottle of hot sauce in his collection cost $4,000.
Source 10 Paul Luke: World's Largest Collection of Milk Bottles
The former milkman had to build a museum behind his house in the garden after his house became too small for his collection of more than 10,000 milk bottles.
Dedicated to his craft, 33-year-old Paul Luke kept his first bottle of milk when he was just nine years old and earned his own living expenses by working as a milkman's assistant. However, over time, his collection swelled to over 10,000 bottles, the rarest of which date back to the 1890s.
Anything can be collected. And it doesn’t matter if these are expensive items or some trinkets. The main thing is that your collection is numerous and then you will definitely get into the Guinness Book of Records.
1. The largest collection of toothpaste tubes.
Val Kolpakov (Georgia, USA) has assembled a collection of 2,037 different tubes of toothpaste collected from all over the world, including Korea, Japan, China, India and Russia.
2. The largest collection of belt slings.
Christian Gfrerer from Austria collects slings. His collection is 3260 pieces and is constantly updated. By setting this record, Christian broke his own record of 2,671 lines.
3. The largest collection of sunglasses.
Betty Webster (Kamuela, Hawaii, USA) started collecting sunglasses in 1999. People who visited the Hawaiian Islands, having learned about the addiction of a woman, simply gave her their glasses. Her collection includes 1,506 pieces.
4. The largest collection of sneakers.
The largest and most complete Nikes collection in the world consists of 2,388 pairs and is owned by Geordie Geller, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. All sneakers are brand new, in their original boxes and valued at over a million dollars.
5. The largest collection of candy wrappers.
Milan Lukic Valdivia from Peru is in charge of collecting packaging for sweets. Milan has been collecting chocolate wrappers for over 32 years. Its collection includes samples from 49 countries and includes 5,065 wrappers.
6. The largest collection of police hats.
The owner of the largest collection of police hats is Andreas Skala from Germany. The collection includes 2,534 unique items. Andreas Skala broke his previous record.
7. The largest collection of fire helmets.
The well-presented collection of fire helmets consists of 838 items and is owned by Geert Suer from the Netherlands. His collection began in 1976 with a London fire brigade helmet. Since then, he has been collecting helmets from all over the world. Traveling to different countries, whether it's a business trip or a family vacation, the first thing he visits is the local fire station.
8. The largest collection of pencils.
Tushar Lahanpal from India collects pencils. He collected 19,824 units. The largest in his collection is 3 m long, 29 cm wide and weighs 3.63 kg. And the smallest is only 4 cm in length. The teen also owns a gold-plated pencil, pieces studded with Swarovski crystals and a £400 Queen of England pencil.
9. The largest collection of pizza boxes.
Scott Wiener from the USA is engaged in an unusual occupation - collecting pizza boxes. The selection consists of 595 pieces and contains copies not only from the favorite pizzerias in the area, but from 45 different countries around the world. In this case, you can also admire the ability to fit almost 600 pizza boxes in your apartment in New York.
10. The largest collection of teddy bears.
"Teddy Bear City" is the name of the Jackie Meely collection, which is located in a small house on Main Street in Hill City. 8,026 pieces is a record that is hard to beat.
11. The largest collection of horseshoes.
Petr Kostin from Chisinau (Moldova) collects "happiness". His huge collection consists of 3200 horseshoes. All samples are not new, but were once worn by horses, bulls and donkeys.
12. The largest collection of rubber ducks.
Charlotte Lee from the USA has 5,631 rubber ducks that she has been collecting since 1996. All of her toys are displayed in glass cases on four walls in a separate "duck room".
13. The largest collection of Barbie dolls.
There are over 100,000 Barbie doll collectors in the world. But the largest collection belongs to Betty Dorfmann from Germany, consisting of 15,000 different dolls. She is also the proud owner of a rare 1959 Barbie, the company's first doll.
14. The largest collection of bottle caps.
An unusual hobby is collecting bottle caps. Poul Ho Poulsen from Denmark has been doing this since 1956. Its huge collection includes 101,733 different caps from 183 countries.
15. The largest collection of ballpoint pens.
Angelika Unverhau from Germany is the owner of a huge collection of ballpoint pens - 285,150 pieces, excluding duplicates imported from 148 different countries of the world.
16. The largest collection of wooden walking sticks.
Dalmasio Fernandez from Spain collects his own wooden walking sticks. His original selection is 1,872 canes.
17. The largest collection of things related to the hamburger.
Daytona Beach, Florida hamburger lover Harry Sperl collected 3,724 hamburger items, setting an unusual world record.
18. Largest collection of Do Not Disturb signs.
Rainer Weichert from Germany collects Do Not Disturb signs. Hotels, cruise liners, planes from 188 countries of the world are the main assistants in this unusual business. The entire selection has 11,570 characters. The rarest and most valuable item is from the Olympic Village in Berlin from 1936, and the oldest is from the General Brock Hotel in Canada from 1910.
19. Largest collection of valid credit cards.
Walter Kavanagh from the USA is the owner of 1,497 individual valid credit cards for a total of $1.7 million. The culprit of this hobby was a bet made with a friend. And they were collected in just a year. By the way, cards are stored in the largest wallet in the world with a length of 76.2 m and a weight of 17.49 kg. And if you fold them at the end, they will reach the top of a four-story building.
20. The largest collection of toys from fast food restaurants.
Percival R. Luge from the Philippines is a quick eater. His collection of toys from fast food restaurants includes 10,000 items. Even such a hobby can lead to the Guinness Book of Records.
Alexander "Samodelkin" Ustinov has been collecting old Soviet toys for over 15 years. At school, he was engaged in a car modeling circle at the Club of Young Technicians at the Krasny Oktyabr machine-building plant - he built various models of cars, reworked and improved various toys, and assembled new ones from broken old ones. Even then, he had a fairly large collection of various equipment and models, but in the early 2000s the club was closed, and his personal collection was destroyed along with the club property.
This was the impetus for the creation of a new collection, but this time Alexander decided to collect not car models, but toy cars, and always in their original form, without any alterations. At the same time, the main principle of the collection was laid, which Alexander adheres to this day: the maximum desire for the original, the minimum of new interventions. The collection grew quite quickly, Alexander learned a lot of new things. A separate joy was to find exactly the same cars that he had in childhood. And, although now Alexander has a huge collection, it still does not have all the toys that were in his childhood.
Initially, the format of the collection assumed only a technical, transport toy. But later, seeing with what speed the toys, which until recently were massive, disappear, it was decided to expand the format of the collection. One of the first to be added to the collection were October-Pioneer symbols, constructors, and toy books. At that moment, the collection already began to claim the title of a museum and Alexander began to hold the first traveling exhibitions. A little later, dolls, animals, rubber, polyethylene, celluloid toys, and board games appeared in the collection.
2. At the moment, Alexander is especially passionate about filling the newest, puppet part of the collection. As Alexander admits, “All my life I have been completely indifferent to dolls, but now they have completely captured me and for the last two years they have been a serious competitor to technology in my soul.” 
3. The collection covers the period of the USSR until 1990 and a little later, if the development of the produced toy was carried out back in the days of the USSR. It is impossible to establish the exact number of exhibits in the collection. there is no way to take an inventory, but according to rough estimates, Alexander managed to collect more than 1000 toys of various years of manufacture and condition. The main part of the collection lies packed and inaccessible for any inspection, moreover, in not the best conditions (an unheated garage with a leaking roof). And the most valuable exhibits are in an ordinary one-room apartment, occupying almost all the free space in it, which is also completely inconvenient for viewing. 
4. Alexander's dream is to open a real museum with free access for everyone. In his opinion, the collection should be available to a wide range of visitors: only then does it live. At a minimum, you need a bright and heated room in which you can place the exhibits of the collection and conduct excursions. Alexander is trying to negotiate with the administration of his district, but no positive decisions have been made yet. 
This report shows the general scale of the collection and Alexander asks to be treated with understanding - this is not an exhibition or a museum, this is a forced measure to keep the exhibits in this form for lack of other options. Therefore, do not pay attention to the dust, I quite spontaneously came to visit Alexander and he had the opportunity to prepare for my arrival.
So, let's get acquainted with some exhibits of the collection:
5. The only articulated doll in the Soviet Union. She can be planted and she will sit normally. 
6. Doll with tracking eyes. 
7. Horse on wheels. The exhibit is interesting because it is a home-made, not a mass-produced toy made from improvised materials. 
8. Pinocchio wooden cars, such were usually in kindergartens - RAFiki and dump trucks. And on top of the LTZ GAZ-52 dump truck with metal wheels. 
9. Electronic board game Shooter, this is already the beginning of the 1990s. 
10. Very interesting exhibits from the same collection of wooden toys. Pay attention to the style and design - this is a real muscle car! 
11. A huge collection of Soviet dolls: celluloid, polyethylene, play and decorative. 
12. Various models of wheeled vehicles. 
13. Exclusive and one of the most expensive exhibits in the collection is the electric railway manufactured by the Moskabel plant. With transformer, lighting, semaphores and arrows. Released 60 years ago. In a complete set, such a railway in our time costs almost 100 thousand rubles. 
14. Planet rover Elektronika IM-11. It was produced in the 1980s, and the BIG TRAK developed in the USA was taken as the basis. It has memory and can perform a programmed algorithm of actions. Perhaps one of the most technologically advanced toys in the USSR. 
15. A series of developing designers Youth. 
16. Cult toy of the 1960s - Lunokhod with remote wired control. Able to drive back and forth, turn and open the cover with a solar battery. 
17. Toys take up all the free space in the apartment. ZILs with semi-trailers of different years of manufacture and a collection of ZIS-150s of different years of manufacture. 
18. Animals - rubber, polyethylene, celluloid - have taken shelter on a shelf in the kitchen. 
19. Racing cars of the Estonian factory Norma, a well-known manufacturer of seat belts for cars. 
20. And most of the collection is stored in the garage and is completely inaccessible for inspection. 
21. Numerous board games. 
22. Pedal children's car Orenburg. 
23. Alexander shows how the design of the chassis of manufactured toys changed over time - at first the design was finalized to increase detail, and in recent years of production, on the contrary, they simplified it in order to reduce the cost of production. 
24. Most Soviet toys died like this. After which she was thrown away. 
25. More dolls. 
Have you found toys that were in your childhood?
Alexander with great joy will accept as a gift, buy or exchange any old toys from the times of the USSR. And it does not matter what condition they are in, perhaps this toy is very lacking in the lineup of the collection. Take your part in the preservation of historical heritage! You can contact Alexander through LiveJournal -
