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 woman participates in an insect-eating competition at a scenic spot in Lijiang, Yunnan province, China June 25, 2017. Insects have been a part of Yunnan cuisine for centuries, long before their potential as sustainable sources of protein caught the eye of the Western world. Bee larvae, grasshoppers and cicadas are just some items found on menus in the region. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A health official checks the body temperature of a burqa-clad woman passenger amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus at the Lahore Railway station in Lahore on March 19, 2020. (Photo by Arif Ali/AFP Photo)

A man reacts as he holds the equipment used by Palestinian cameraman Hussam al-Masri, who was a contractor for Reuters, at the site where he was killed along with other journalists and people in Israeli strikes on Nasser hospital, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still image taken from a video shot by Reuters contractor Hatem Khaled, who was wounded shortly afterwards in another strike while he was filming the site on August 25, 2025. (Photo by Hatem Khaled/Reuters)

Courtney Stodden attends the finale of “Celebs Go Dating” TV show filming at Dirty Martini in London, England on July 26, 2017. (Photo by Beretta/Sims/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Abbas (1944 – 25 April 2018) was an Iranian photographer known for his photojournalism in Biafra, Vietnam and South Africa in the 1970s, and for his extensive essays on religions in later years. He was a member of Sipa from 1971 to 1973, a member of Gamma from 1974 to 1980, and joined Magnum Photos in 1981. Here: Kuwait, 1991. (Photo by Abbas Attar/Magnum Photos)

A man splashes in a puddle in Times Square during a heavy midday downpour in New York City, U.S., July 17, 2018. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

A man wears a busho mask and a costume made of sheep pelt while climbing up a ladder outside a barn in Mohacs, Hungary, 20 February 2020, on the first day of carnival. The traditional Busho carnival, which marks the end of winter, dates back to the 16th century. According to local legend, members of an ethnic South Slavic group living in Mohacs at the time dressed up in similar costumes and wore wooden masks to scare away Ottoman invaders, who mistook them for demons. (Photo by Tamas Soki/EPA/EFE)