Siblings run a museum showcasing their 20,000 strong collection of salt and pepper shakers.<br /><br />Andrea Ludden, 52, and her brother, Alex, 69, run the world's only museum that is dedicated solely to salt and pepper shakers.<br /><br />They say they can't estimate the collection's worth because their value is "not monetary" - it's about enjoying "the experience" and "the joy it brings to collect".<br /><br />They have an entire wall display of fruit-themed ones, another for vegetables, another for marine life and another for iconic cartoon characters.<br /><br />Some of the most unusual shakers on display include a toaster, a bottle of sun cream, a matching set of pink armchairs and two matching harps.<br /><br />The pair inherited most of the collection from their mum Andrea Sr, who spent 35 years building up the incredible collection before she passed away in 2015.<br /><br />But they have since added hundreds of their own.<br /><br />Their collection is more than double what is held by the current Guinness World Record holder - 6971 sets owned by a collector in Pierce City, Missouri, but they say they're not interested in claiming the title.<br /><br />Museum owner Andrea said: "Mum started when she bought a pepper mill to replace a broken one.<br /><br />"From there it went onto salt and pepper shakers - she began to hunt them out everywhere.<br /><br />"The more she collected, it was so interesting to see the variety and themes.<br /><br />"The ingenuity and designs are mind-boggling.".<br /><br />Andrea Sr had worked all her life as an archeologist with an interest in history - so found it fascinating seeing the differences in the shakers over time.<br /><br />She opened the museum to the public with her children in 2002. <br /><br />She sorted thousands upon thousands of shakers into themes and colours to be put in giant display cases.<br /><br />Andrea's full collection was around 60,000 strong but some were distributed to a sister museum in Alicante, Spain, and the rest to a collector in Israel.<br /><br />Andrea has added around an additional 300 of her own too, buying them from antique shops or online.<br /><br />Over two decades since the original museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee was first opened, it is still going as strong as ever.<br /><br />People visit from all around the world to see the incredible collection - including other collectors.<br /><br />Andrea said: "What my mum always wanted to do was share the creativity and artistry behind the common object.<br /><br />"When you see it amassed like this, it gives you a whole different perspective.<br /><br />"It makes you think 'what inspired people to be so creative?'<br /><br />"The passion started with her - because of her, history and curiosity was always part of the family.<br /><br />"My dad didn't collect but he was always the chauffer and the shelf builder - it involved the whole family.<br /><br />"So for us, running the museum is a labour of love."
