There are many types of collections. Some are formed by purposefully collecting certain objects, such as stamps or coins. However, some collections are only a byproduct of an obsession, a quirk of mind. For example, Paul Brockmann got into the habit of buying his girlfriend and later his wife a dress every time they went ballroom dancing. It might seem excessive to some, but it was his way of showing his affection. Overtime, this collection grew to be enormous, counting 55,000 dresses in total. Basic math tells us that either they went ballroom dancing three times per day for every day of their lives, or he bought them in huge bundles every time.

A gallery assistant holds a rare 14th century time-telling device device in Bonhams auction house on December 9, 2011 in London, England. The instrument, which dates from 1396 and was discovered in a shed in Queensland, Australia, is due to be auctioned on December 13, 2011 and is expected to fetch 200,000 GBP. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Robert Burck, a street performer known as “The Naked Cowboy” dips a woman as he poses for a photo in Times Square in New York, U.S., August 4, 2016. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Actor Sophie poses on September 5, 2022 in various locations in character at the Goodwood Race Track ahead of next week Goodwood's Revival meeting (16-18 September). (Photo by Peter Tarry/The Times)

Revelers take part in the Theatre Bizarre festival, a Halloween celebration that is returning in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., October 14, 2022. (Photo by Dieu-Nalio Chery/Reuters)

Members of the O’Neill and Gallagher families from Sydney, Australia take to the water at the 40 Foot for a Christmas Day Swim in Ireland on December 25, 2022. (Photo by Alan Betson/The Irish Times)

A grey squirrel looks for some food from a girl in the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland on April 3, 2023. (Photo by Damien Eagers/The Irish Times)

Children play among foaming bubbles that form an artwork by Roger Hiorns entitled A Retrospective View of the Pathway, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield, UK on August 16, 2023. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times)