This week has been a very cool week. My Catan collection has been recognised with a Guiness World Record!!
And I also have a really nice message from Germany
Catan GmbH
Benjamin Teuber
The recognition actually happened back in March but the award has been embargoed until the release of the 2026 annual this month.
How did this record happen?
In March of this year (2025) I received an email from the Guinness World Records advising they had found my site while researching board games and they invited me to create an online application for the "largest collection of Catan related items."
At first I was not sure, but Charlie, the GWR researcher was incredibly helpful and his assistance made the whole process a breeze. For approval I had to send database printouts of my collection, along with photos and videos of all the shelves, After a couple of weeks, I was advised that my collection had been approved. As mentioned, GWR advised the decision was embargoed until the book was released. After this it was a waiting game for September.
Jump to now.
On 2 September my daughter in London dashed out to buy the new book. She even sent me a video from in the store showing the cover and my listing. It is not due for release in New Zealand until the 16th, however GWR have also released the embargo and added the record to their online database. I admit I was really surprised to see the photo used and even more surprised that the record included additional text about my collection and my most important piece.
Obviously it is very gratifying to hold the world record for having so much Catan but it was not something I ever expected or planned for. Catan for me is about my passion for the game, the enjoyment it gives my family and I, and the global network of friends Catan has given me.
Footnote: My collection has already grown quite a bit since March. With all the new 6E English and 4E German sets available my limited budget has been considerably stretched. Added to this has been trying to find the promotional items from both the Catan World Champs in Stuttgart and from the launch of Catan Connect.
