Saturday, July 17, 2010
Largest
collection of tea caddies - world record set by
Graham Brooks
BLENHEIM, New Zealand -- Graham Brooks
has been collecting tea caddies from near and afar for 35
years after his mother-in-law gave him one as a gift and now
has 3,000 caddies - setting the new world record for the Largest
collection of tea caddies.
(enlarge
photo)
An estimated 3,000 caddies were on display
to raise funds for Alzheimers Marlborough’s crucial support
services during Awareness and Appeal Week, which runs from
12 to 18 July.
For the first time in 25 years Graham’s
World's Largest
collection of tea caddies will come out of storage
for a special event at the Blenheim Club, officially opened
by Wellington-based antiques expert Peter Wedde of the television
programme Auction House.
Mr Brooks has been collecting tea caddies
since his mother-in-law gave him a Jackson's of Piccadilly
tea canister for his birthday during his first year of marriage.
Other family and friends followed her lead. Then
he started to buy them himself. The result is a collection
of up to 3000 tea caddies.
"When I first stared to buy them, they
were about 50 cents each, but today, some of them are up to
ridiculously high prices. "I saw one tin sell for over $500
on Trade Me."
Graham is delighted to be able to show off
his collection and support people with dementia at the same
time.
“I thought there needed to be something
for people to come and have a look at while they had their
cup of tea. I also wanted to get all the caddies in one place.
I regularly come home from a holiday with a hundred tea caddies.
That’s why we take the car over on the ferry, because it’s
easier than flying when you’re collecting. You pick them up
in obscure places.”
Graham says he had no idea there were so
many caddies until he gathered them from all over his house
and packed them in boxes for the collection.
Rediscovered during the initial unpacking
is a working Bell tea radio, a unopened packet of tea from
the same issue that Sir Edmund Hillary took up Mt Everest,
and a tea-picker's basket.
“It’s fantastic; you wouldn’t believe it
when you walk in the room. It’s amazing. Overwhelming,” says
Alzheimers Marlborough’s spokesperson Helen Knapp.
The previous world record for the
Largest
collection of tea caddies was a 1700 tins collection
from Czech Republic.
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Saturday, July 17, 2010
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