What are some of the weirdest things people collect?

Whether inspired by mere entertainment or intense passions, people love collecting things. What’s even more interesting is that this hobby can become addictive. Perhaps you once felt the urge to collect something too. You start out with a small number, but in no time, you start to realize the number has gotten bigger than you thought.

While things people collect usually include model cars or baseball cards, other folks have collected some very weird and bizarre stuff. Many of these collections are even unique, being the largest in the world.

Are you curious to see what people have amassed? Here are 10 crazy things people collect!

1. Unopened Coca-Cola bottles

No. 1 on our list of weird things people collect is unopened Coca-Cola bottles. If you feel like drinking a refreshing bottle of cola, don’t even ask John Burley, who holds the world’s largest collection of unopened Coca-Cola bottles.

His unique hobby (and his passion for the company’s branding) started somewhere in the 1950s, and now John has over 600 bottles of the fizzy drink. His holdings include rare bottles commemorating the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Star Wars, and other significant world events.

While soda usually doesn’t cost much, John’s collection is estimated to be worth over $15,600.

2. Banana sticker collection

Banana stickers also make the list of bizarre things people collect. We’re all familiar with sticker and stamp collectors, but who knew there was a market for a different kind of adhesive label?

We’ve all seen those small tags stuck to that bunch of yellow fruits you buy from the grocery store, but only a few see banana labels as something precious. Christopher Crawcour from the UK is part of this dedicated fan base, and he owns a collection of over 30,000 banana stickers. There’s also Becky Marts, who has an online portfolio of her treasures.

If you were to find a Chiquita label from the 1960s, don’t throw it away with the banana skin; it’s believed to be the rarest sticker out there.

3. Celebrity hair collection

This is definitely one of those weirdest things people collect: celebrity hair! Seeking out famous people’s hair to display in your house sounds a bit stalkerish, but it’s a real thing! John Reznikoff is the Guinness World Record holder for the largest and most valuable collection of celebrity hair.

But don’t worry, he isn’t ambushing red carpets to pluck strands of hair out of superstars’ heads. Through auctions, Reznikoff has collected locks from the likes of Elvis, Beethoven, Marilyn Monroe, and Abraham Lincoln, to name just a few.

According to him, during the Victorian era, amassing strands of hair was sort of like getting an autograph today. While Reznikoff admits his hobby is a bit strange, he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

4. Sugar packet collection

The ordinary sugar packet you get at a coffee shop is also among the list of weird things people collect. Available on grocery store shelves and diner tables around the world, sugar packets may not seem like something anyone would collect.

However, a large fan base of collectors considers them coveted things. In fact, the global hobby of amassing sugar packets (sweeteners are also included here) is so popular that it even has a name—sucrology.

Nowadays, Ralf Schröder is the world record holder with 14,500 different packets. While sugar and sweetener last a pretty good while, we don’t recommend tasting his oldest packet. Why? It dates back to the 1950s.

Keep reading to discover other strange things people collect!

5. Traffic cone collection

David Morgan got his first traffic cones while he was working at a plastic manufacturing company. It all started when a competitor sued his company for stealing their design of a cone.

Morgan hunted down cones to provide evidence that his design already existed. His plan worked out, as he won. But even after the judge decided Morgan was not guilty and the case was closed, he couldn’t stop amassing those tantalizing orange cones.

Spellbound by the varied designs, he has continued collecting versions of all colors, sizes, and shapes from all over the world. He has about 500 but is still searching for an elusive five-sided cone.

6. Coffee cup lid collection

Speaking of sugar packet collections, we could not include coffee cup lids on our list of strange things people collect. Where most of us see a piece of plastic or cardboard that allows us to drink coffee on the go, Scott Specht and Louise Harpman see a symbol of a cultural shift in America.

Specht and Harpman, partners in their own architectural company, also share ownership of the largest collection of plastic coffee lids in the entire world. While they don’t consider themselves to be fanatical collectors, they do acknowledge their passion for coffee lid design.

They have snagged over 550 different lids while grabbing cups of coffee over the years, and they store their unique collection in a special container under Harpman’s bed.

7. Pizza box collection

Who would have thought pizza boxes were among the things people collect? Well, there are people who own a collection like this.

Brooklyn apartments are known for their modest square footage, but size hasn’t stopped Scott Wiener from collecting lots of pizza boxes. He has over 600 unique boxes neatly broken down and stacked in his small apartment. These boxes come from 42 different countries, an achievement he has managed with the help of many fans who send boxes from their favorite pizzerias.

Wiener has even written a book about pizza box design. Moreover, he runs his own company that takes interested visitors on tours of pizza-related attractions around New York City.

8. Hamburger collection

What started as a simple joke with a friend has turned into a massive burger-themed collection. But how can burgers be things people collect? Well, let’s find out more!

Harry Sperl, aka Hamburger Harry, owns over 3,000 pieces of hamburger memorabilia. His collection includes everything from a massive hamburger-themed waterbed to small objects like ceramic burger salt-and-pepper shakers.

Sperl started amassing in the 1980s, and since eBay’s arrival, it’s been easier than ever for him to sustain his passion. While he still enjoys a tasty hamburger, he has had to stop eating them for health reasons.

So, this isn’t a hamburger collection per se, but it’s still impressive.

9. Napkin collection

These may seem more common among the weird things people collect, but it’s still something not many people do. You may not be interested in grabbing a few extra napkins on your way out of an eatery, but Antonia Kozakova certainly is.

She has collected nearly 80,000 of them and is currently the world record holder. She’s been doing this for 16 years with the help of family, friends, neighbors, and even her mail carrier. The napkins vary in design, shape, and size—and some even have autographs.

Kozakova’s dream goal is to collect 100,000 napkins and have one with her face on it!

Do you also collect napkins? Amazon has plenty of them to sell!

10. Pencil collection

Last on our list of things people collect are pencils. Next time you’re searching for one to scribble a note, think of Tushar Lakhanpal, who’s never at a loss for writing tools—he owns nearly 20,000.

And no, his collection doesn’t include just the familiar No. 2. Lakhanpal holds in his possession a pencil used by Queen Elizabeth II, once plated in 22-karat gold, and another that’s more than eight feet long. He hopes one day to open his own pencil museum to share this impressive collection with the public.

If you liked our list of strange things people collect, you may also want to read Coca-Cola and 9 Other Things Invented for a Different Purpose.