A man breaks a Guinness World Record with an unparalleled collection of birth kits

An Iowa man named Mike Zahs recently entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest collection of nursery kits. Last December, Zahs unveiled his entire collection during the Washington Chamber of Commerce’s Tour of Homes event. The impressive 2,539 scenes took a total of six weeks to set. After setting up, Zahs and his friends compiled an extensive package of evidence, including 19 videos, 102 photographs, a 227-page inventory list and 11 media articles documenting the display. They also completed a question sheet and gave two witness statements, all of which were reviewed by the Guinness World Records team. Guinness described the record achieved by Zahs as “the largest number of objects of a single object in a private, personal collection”, with the measurement based on the number of unique objects that adhere to the criteria for the record.

Zahs’ passion for collecting nativity scenes began in the 1950s. Its collection includes exhibits from over 100 different countries, most of which are meticulously handcrafted. After a detailed review of the submitted evidence, Zahs officially became the current record holder for the largest collection of nativity sets, with 2,324 nativity sets. It is worth noting that Zahs’ actual collection consists of 2,539 nativity scenes, but not all of them qualify for the record due to specific requirements. Each scene had to show Mary, Joseph, Jesus and at least one angel, as well as the three wise men, a shepherd, an animal, a star or a stable. Zachs’ achievement cements his place in history as a dedicated collector and custodian of this cherished Christmas tradition.