A Cupboard of Collections Trivia Quiz

Yes, a brolliologist collects "brollies"--umbrellas! The oldest depiction of a collapsible umbrella or parasol dates to around 2310 BC in Near East Asia. The English writer and gardener John Evelyn wrote about seeing a collection of umbrellas in 1664, describing them as being rarities:

"...Fans like those our ladies use, but much larger, and with long handles, strangely carved and filled with Chinese characters..."

They have become much more popular today. Whether you collect one or not, don't leave home without one!

A digitabulist is a collector of those handy little tools, thimbles. Maybe because they protect your "digits", or fingers? Usually steel but sometimes porcelain or rubber, thimbles are little cup-shaped tools that cover the tips of your fingers while sewing to prevent the fingers from getting jabbed by needles.

Collecting rare thimbles can be expensive. In 1994, a rare porcelain thimble sold for £26,000.

No, deltiologists don't deal with deltoids--they collect postcards! Deltiology is the collecting and studying of postcards. Postcard collectors were originally called philocartists, but the term was officially changed to deltiologists in 1945.

Deltiology first appeared in the 19th century, and post cards have since become one of the most popular items to collect. It ranks in the top three most-collected items, along with stamps and coins/banknotes!

Ambulists collect walking sticks, and anything from sword sticks to canes, ladies' sticks to swagger sticks!

Although canes are mostly just used for getting around today, they used to be more of a fashion statement. From the 17th century onward, walking sticks became fashionable to use every day. Some could be quite fancy: gold and silver canes inlaid with jewels could be an important piece of an outfit, making some walking sticks very expensive for collectors!

Strange as it may sound, an arctophile collects Teddy Bears. Cute and cuddly, Teddy Bears first emerged in the early 19th century. They were named after President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, after a political cartoon printed in 1902 depicted a time when he went bear hunting.

Morris Michtom, a candy shop owner, made the first "teddy's bear" that same year, putting the doll in his shop window. Just before, the Steiff firm in Germany had begun producing stuffed bears, and they were brought to America in 1903. No one truly knows whether Michtom or Steiff made the first true Teddy Bear.

A receptarist collects recipes of food! These could just be ordinary cookbooks, or rare, antique, and valuable recipes.

There are many valuable cookbooks throughout history. They originated in antiquity, including the earliest-known European cookbook, "Apicius", a collection of Roman recipes. The very first known American cookbook was published in 1796. Written by Amelia Simmons, it was entitled simply "American Cookery".

A pannapictagraphist, as the convoluted name suggests, is a collector of comic books. Comic books have become very collectable over the years, despite having originated as cheap entertainment.

In 2011, a new record for the first comic to sell for over 2 million American dollars was made when Action Comics #1, best known as having introduced the character of Superman, was sold for a whopping $2.16 million. It had previously been owned by the actor and pannapictagraphist Nicholas Cage.

Feeling grabby? Then you might just be a grabatologist, or a collector of men's ties or neckties.

Originating from traditional Croation neckties that spread throughout Europe after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), they then evolved into stocks and cravats throughout the 18th century. These were usually starched ties that could be tied into simple knots or elaborate designs. In the mid-19th century, neckties developed into the basic design that we know today: a strip of fabric knotted at the throat so that the ends hang down the front of the shirt.

Have you lost track of time playing quizzes? Well, then ask the time from a horologist, a collector of clocks. It also refers to horology, the study of time.

The Royal Collection Trust in Great Britain, which acts as steward for many Royal sites such as Buckingham Palace, boasts a vast collection of valuable clocks. Some of these include "Queen Charlotte's Lever Watch and Pedestal" by Thomas Mudge (1715-1794), and a longcase equation clock by Thomas Tompion (baptised1639, died 1713).

A campanologist is either someone who collects bells, or someone who studies campanology, the art of bell-ringing. It has been incorrectly used in the past to also refer to someone who is a bell-ringer. Bell-ringing isn't just pulling a bell-rope at random; it often involved six or more bells, all pulled in various mathematical patterns.

Campanology is a main subject in Dorothy L. Sayers' classic mystery novel "The Nine Tailors" (1934), where her sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey, participates in a New Years' Day bell-ringing at a rural church. But maybe the bells aren't as innocent as they seem...