It was a miracle I survived

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Whethe inspire intens passio mere entertainme people love to colle sorts of things. We’ve all heard of people who collect stamps, ticket stubs, teddy bears, Pokemon cards or even snow globes. These collections, however, are truly extraordinary!

My amazing collection

Mark Maggs, 28, from Henbury, is a Guinness World Record holder for his humongous collection…

Shuffling the cards and handing them out, I played Sports Cars Top Trumps with my family. ‘Top speed: 198mph,’ I read out. It was 2002, and I’d just been gifted my first pack of Top Trumps. That was 18 years ago, and ever since I have been collecting Top Trumps in my spare time. When I was younger, it was just the odd pack to play with. If I saw them in shops or in a

Rubbing my bump, I ruffled through the second-hand gems at a local jumble sale. ‘This one is beautiful!’ I said to my husband Adam, now 46. It was 2008 and I was on maternity leave from work with our first baby.

Hunting for vintage treasures, I had started to buy and sell handbags on eBay.

Along the way, I ended up keeping the special ones.

‘I can’t sell this one, it’s far too unique!’ I said to Adam.

That’s how it all began... You see, some people collect coins, others keep train tickets and cinema receipts – I collect quirky vintage handbags.

Ticking 1960s designers off my list, I scan vintage shops, jumble sales and charity stores.

‘You’ve got far too many,’ my husband sighs, as I admire my kitsch Princess Charming 50s bag with poodles on the cellophane.

He doesn’t even know half of them.

But what he doesn’t know, won’t hurt him! Plus, that doesn’t stop him buying me vintage handbags for Christmas and birthdays.

Over the past decade, I’ve purchased hundreds of gorgeous bags and stored them here, there and everywhere.

My favourite handbags with interesting fronts are hung on the grey wall in our bedroom.

These are mainly windowpane bags such as Princess Charming bags and Enid Collins totes.

‘Do they not get dusty?’ my friends ask.

They do, but I simply clean them from time to time with a feather duster.

I display my box bags in a vintage 1950s cocktail cabinet also in my bedroom – these are my most precious vintage bags such as my Lucite ones.

The advantage of this is that they are always out of reach of my kids’ sticky fingers!

I love that I can see them and appreciate them as a collection.

And my mother-in-law bought me the cabinet from a local charity shop.

‘The atomic patterns and the splayed legs are fab!’ I said to her, dusting it straight away.

The rest of my handbag collection is stored in trunks and suitcases piled by my bed.

This works really well for clutch bags and purses.

If I had to choose a favourite bag, it would be difficult.

I’ve got an American 60s box bag by Enid Collins that’s hand Vintage lifestyle blogger Kate Beavis, 47, from Bedfordshire, has collected hundreds of quirky handbags over the years…

They make a beautiful display Passion for fashion

ainted with jewels.

Hunting a car boot sale once, I came across a leather shoulder bag with a bamboo handle.

It’s about 30 years older than a Gucci.

All of my vintage bags have a story to tell, which is why I love them.

My 1940s telephone bags have colourful winding wires on them.

After the war, they had very little disposable money to spend, so it’s extraordinary how these bags turned out.

Although I do have vintage Chanel, I prefer the more rare and unique brands – that way, fewer people own them.

Unlike many collectors, I do use my handbags.

I take them off the wall, wear them for a while and then pick a different one when I’m bored.

The precious ones I keep for special occasions, like parties.

There is something almost safe about vintage fashion.

It is nostalgic, more ethical and holds value.

Some of them even go up in value over time.

If I need a little cash, I can sell them online.

My daughter isn’t into handbags, but one day it would be nice to pass them down or give them to someone that loves them as much as I do.

For now, I’ll continue to hunt for quirky and over the top gems. Shh, don’t tell my husband! Follow Kate’s collection on her style blog www.katebeavis.com.

IA DALTON PHOTOS: SWNS AND ALAMY

pocket money. Gumball, Smash Hits Pop Stars, Shrek 2 and Shrek 4 – it was just a bit of fun.

Eventually, I had loads and it turned into a fun hobby collecting Top Trumps.

Scanning Amazon and eBay for retro and fun Top Trumps, I added them to my basket. From Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Lord of the Rings and Toy Story, I had a range of films and books.

There’s statistics, biographies and a huge range of subjects such as volcanoes, dinosaurs, wonders of the world and animals.

Most of them only cost a fiver, so compared to other collectors, it wasn’t a very expensive past time. But then I got into buying the limited-edition Top Trumps and rare packs and they were a lot

It all started as a bit of fun Once, a rare Postman Pat one cost me £40 with postage.

One of my favourites is the Steven Irwin limited edition pack from Australia Zoo – I bought those directly from Australia and got them shipped over. ‘What do you need?’ my family and friends always ask when it’s my birthday and Christmas. They make a great, affordable gift and I’m always on the hunt for new packets to add to my collection. Ordering a Coronation Street Top Trumps online, I stored it in my drawers at home.

I don’t play them so much now, but I find enjoyment in collecting them in my spare time.

Unlike some other collectibles, Top Trumps are small and easy to store – they don’t take up much room at all.

I wonder if I could win a world record with these? I thought one day last year.

Looking at my colourful collection, I must have hundreds. I’d known people who had collected them, but nowhere near as many as me.

I couldn’t find the current world record online, so I contacted Winning Moves to find out. To send off my application, I had to list every pack I owned and photograph them. Flicking through Barbie , Mary Rose and Rugby Stars, I jotted them down. Starting with launch dates of 2001, leading up to 2019, I had 300 packs in total!

I sent them off to be verified and patiently waited.

And on 8 July 2019, I was officially the World Record Holder TOP

I BARBIE

Playing with my action men, I dressed them up in their camouflage outfits and chunky boots. It was the late-1970s, and at six years old I was obsessed with all my figurines. Back in the day, they were expensive, and I really treasured my toys. ‘Your Action Men need girlfriends,’ my gran told me. And then she gifted me my first ever Sindy doll. Holding the glamorous, plastic little diva, I fell in love with dolls. And I’ve been collecting them ever since... As I’ve grown up, my collection of dolls has grown, too. Hunting around charity shops, car boot sales and eBay, I find all different kinds of dolls, accessories and outfits. Some are more expensive if they’re rare or limited edition, and others are as cheap as chips. When I moved into an artment in London, I decided to do something eyecatching with them all. They’ll make a cool ay, I thought. ting apartment blocks on alls, I had fun designing a Tristan Pineiro, 47, from London, was gifted his first collectors’ item from his gran… giant dolls house of sorts.

Each block has a different theme and scene – from hairdressers to a gym to a caravan and kitchen – there’s a room for everything.

If you have a peer in one block, you’ll see Barbies getting ready in a pineapple-printed bathroom, in another you’ll see Action Men partying with disco balls.

There’s Sindy dolls hunting through mini wardrobes, Barbies watching TV in the living room and G.I. Joe’s dining like cannibals around the dinner table.

Ken’s classic slogan ‘Do you wanna go for a ride, Barbie?’ has quite literally come to life in my doll’s car scene.

I’ve got over 500 dolls in total, they’re all kinds of different figurines, from Ghostbusters, to Star Wars to Wonder Woman and many more.

My walls are bright, colourfu and tell a story – way more interesting than standard hous décor and wallpaper.

I think that’s the best part about my collection – they’re visually and aesthetically pleasing, and fun!

I enjoy dressing the dolls up, painting their faces and getting inventive with themes. When people come to visit, they are either completely terrified or fascinated by it.

If I had to choose a favourite doll, it would be the old-school 1970s and 80s ones.

They’re a bit quirkier and vintage than the modern ones.

However, when I can afford to, I buy the limited-edition dolls.

I recently bought the chic, new collectors Barbies. The more expensive dolls stay in their boxes on bookshelves.

If they’re kept in good condition, they’ll be worth a lot of money. Some dolls even sell for £600 each! I’d love to pass my collection down It’s unique and different

for the largest collection of Top Trumps online.

Alongside the world’s biggest dress, largest crocodile and longest beard, I had made a world record!

And then my collection didn’t stop there.

Determined, I continued to buy Top Trump packets and my number grew.

I’ve got over 450 packs now and I’m aiming to reattempt the record next year.

My 2019 title was only online, not in the book, and I’d love to make it to the Guinness World Record Gamer’s Edition 2021 book.

I like having a hobby that simple and affordable. I’m the top dog in th of Top Trumps, an Who knows doing with all of Trumps packs. For now, I’ll conti stack them up and w records!

one day.

My two nieces love playing with Barbie dolls.

I’m yet to show them my apartment collection.

I think they’ll go wild! To me, dolls are nostalgic and I love the aesthetic of them in my apartment. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic!

Imagination, life is your creation!