Guinness record holder lives here

“For a month now, Pike County residents have been enjoying the display in the front window of the library and many are amazed to learn everything in the display is actually a telephone,” said assistant librarian Rosemary Dunn.

The record-winning collection includes Phillips’ first novelty phone which he bought in the early 1980s – a Superman statue phone that is worth more than $1,000. Not one cell phone is a part of the collection.

It includes race cars, food and beverages such as a Pringles and Heinz ketchup phone, animals, superheroes, motorcycles, classic cars, musical instruments, cartoon characters, sports, flying machines, other branded novelty phones and even everyday items such as a potato phone.

“It started as an accident and then it just got completely out of hand. We bought our first telephone, Superman, from the Radio Shack discount table to use in our shop for a showpiece. It turned out the phone had a limited production (300 phones) because the manufacturer didn’t have permission from DC Comics to use their Superman trademark,” said Phillips. “In 2011, our grandson bought a Guinness World Records book and noted the world record for the largest telephone collection was much less than we already had. We began pulling together the necessary documentation to make an attempt at a Guinness World Record. All items had to be corded phones, no cell phones or duplicates.”

The information was forwarded to London Guinness late in 2011 and the Guinness Record Certificate for the World’s Largest Collection of Telephones for 1,135 phones was received in early 2012.

“We still continue to add a few phones to the collection as they’re available. Each phone is individually tagged, documented and photographed with a distinct number and separate information,” said Phillips. “We maintain a picture book of all of the phones to help us search for new phones which we don’t already have.”

Most of the phones were purchased from eBay and many were purchased at yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. Some were gifts from friends and family. A carved horse head phone was donated in 2012 to the collection of Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear and Pike County Sheriff Jimmy Thomas received a special phone booth telephone in 2013.  

The highest price paid was $75 to a family member for an older Pillsbury Doughboy phone. The least price paid was 1 cent, with no shipping, for a phone purchased on eBay.

“We set a limit on what we’d offer as a bid and stuck to that. Some phones sold for much higher prices than we could afford, up to $800 and above for a matching Wonder Woman that we didn’t win,” said Phillips. “We hope to sell the collection, eventually, at base purchase cost to a local museum who can show them off to the public, or to a telephone company or executive who can keep the collection together and maintain the Guinness Record.”

Many of the phones are interactive and move around, as well as making special sounds when ringing, such as engines revving up on race car phones or musical instruments in a band. Some of the phones are historical but most are novelties. Some are one of a kind initially made by individuals and particularly unique. Phillips estimates the collection is worth around $70,000.

The Guinness Record-holding collection can be seen at the J. Joel Edwards Public Library during regular hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.