A grandad hopes to be stepping into the record books with the world's largest collection of LEG-themed treasures.<br /><br />David Bennett, 84, has spent more than a decade and £6,000 of his life-savings trawling flea markets and antique fairs for pocket-sized lower limbs.<br /><br />The retired accountant bought his first leg item in 2009 after stumbling across it in an antique shop but now has steadily added more than 170 pieces to his collection. <br /><br />His stash of legs is crammed into display cabinets which he keeps in his home in Derby with the most expensive item being a silver match vesta worth £200. <br /><br />David, who calls himself a 'microtibialist', plans to offer his collection to the Guinness World Records in a bid to be officially recognised for his obsession.<br /><br />The bizarre array of trinkets features legs made from ivory and wood with the oldest piece in his collection, a pipe tamper, dating back to 1780.<br /><br />David, who has two grown-up children and one grandchild, said: "When I retired I wanted a hobby. <br /><br />"I’ve always been a collector, one sort or another. I wanted something different. <br /><br />"I saw a couple of legs available at an antique fair at the NEC show. I bought the two, they were just pipe tampers. My wife had a leg shaped nail file, and then off we went. <br /><br />"I'm on 170 now. It's difficult to find two that are different. I don’t like to buy the same. <br /><br />"I've discovered that this is a rather tricky hobby because you have to hunt hard to find different pieces but I do relish the challenge.<br /><br />"I’ve bought one piece this year and just three last year but I firmly believe there must be hundreds out there, it's just a matter of knowing where to look for them.<br /><br />"My main market are antique markets. I still go to the fairs too. I also go online and ask people to let me know if there know of any unusual leg-themed artefacts. <br /><br />"I had seen things like nutcrackers in a leg shape. It was just I want to collect something different, there’s no particular reason for it. <br /><br />"There’s always something else.<br /><br />"The criteria is that I should be able to put it in my pocket. There’s nothing over five inches in length.<br /><br />"I keep them in an engineers toolbox that I keep everything in and I use dividers to keep them apart. <br /><br />"I would’ve thought the average price is £30 a time so I've spent around £6,000 in total so far but they are worth every penny.<br /><br />"Each item has a story behind it for me on how I found it, where I travelled to buy it and then there is often a story behind the piece themselves.<br /><br />"Antique hunting is about people and bartering and it's exciting when you find something you weren't even aware existed until you set eyes on it.<br /><br />"When I watch Bargain Hunt they always look for something a bit different. What it is is what it is. I’ve got a pair of a wooden nutcrackers that I bought for £200."<br /><br />David, who is married to wife Mary, 80, admits his hobby is niche but says he's unfazed by people's opinions when it comes to his collection.<br /><br />He said: "I have never ever come across anybody who had heard about what I’m doing. <br /><br />"My wife is very supportive but sometimes worries how big the collection could get.<br /><br />"Mary is a great help. She's always looking for legs with me. She'll often find ones that I've missed in a pile, she's good like that. She's luckily quite understanding.<br /><br />"I’ve never heard of anyone having a collection like mine. I would certainly say I’m the only collector in the UK, maybe the world but it's a big place and I'm not sure.<br /><br />"If you keep your eyes open they are out there, they are few and far between. <br /><br />"I really like the attention I get sometimes. When I appeared on the Antique Roadshow a couple of years ago the crowd giggled when they introduced as 'the leg man'. <br /><br />"To be sure I've got the world's biggest collection I'm going to carry on adding to the legs I've already got for a few months and then I'm going to contact the Guinness Book of Records."
