Think you’ve got a lot of dice? Think again
Image courtesy of Kevin Cook/DiceCollector.com
On September 7, 2004, a new world record was set as certified by the folks at Guinness World Records. Kevin Cook earned his certificate verifying him as having the “Largest collection of dice.” The number of dice to set the record was 11, 097.
Image courtesy of Kevin Cook/DiceCollector.com
Wow. That’s a lot of dice.
What’s more impressive is that now, as of this writing nearly 12 years after the record was set, Kevin owns 63,760 dice, according to his website DiceCollector.com.
I mean, that’s a lot of dice.
If you’re into dice, maybe as a collector, after you read this article you need to hop on over to DiceCollector.com. I’m sure there you will find something of interest, such as the many photos Kevin has of dice he owns or has owned, information about conventions, or links upon links upon links to other dice collectors or dice manufacturers or dice fans or … pretty much any site that has anything to do with dice. You might even be tempted to join the Dice Maniac’s Club. Or you might be interested in a dice trade with Kevin, as he doesn’t sell dice but trades for them.
Image courtesy of Kevin Cook/DiceCollector.com
Stay tuned, however, if you’d like to learn more about Kevin Cook, his obsession with dice, and his website. He was kind enough recently to answer a few questions through e-mail.
Questions: Why dice? How did you begin collecting dice?
Answer: From the time that I first played Dungeons & Dragons back in 1977, I was fascinated by the non-d6 dice that we used.
(For more on how Kevin got started with dice, check out the History of the Collection page at his website, DiceCollector.com.)
Q: What are some of the rarest dice you own?
A: Rare can be interpreted many ways. I have several thousand dice for which I am the only person with such a die. I do not consider these to be rare.
I have some dice, of which there were several thousand made, and I consider them to be rare.
Other dice are both few were made and I consider them to be treasure pieces (unlike the first dice mentioned). Here is a mix of such dice.
Q: What are some of your favorite games with dice?
A: I am partial to RPGs as, for the most part, your success does not depend on random chance (rolling dice).
Q: What is currently your favorite die or dice?
A: Hmm, that is a hard one …
Image courtesy of Kevin Cook/DiceCollector.com
The photo above is a handmade Graffiti dice from Etsy crafter DougOutCrafts.
Q: Does your favorite change often?
A: I really don’t think of favorites except when someone asks me if I have a favorite … and then I pick one. 🙂
Q: What advice do you have for others who want to collect dice?
A: a.) Collect what you like, or the reverse … don’t collect things you don’t like … just because you want to collect.
b.) Pick a niche and collect that with zeal. Examples I have seen over the years are PURPLE dice, Pokemon Dice, one of every shape of die that you can find, etc.
Q: If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have one set of dice, or six individual dice, what would they be?
A: Pair of dice: A pair of Icosahedral d20s, as they can be used for all of the other dice in a pinch.
Six Individual dice: A set of the platonic shapes … d20 (numbered 1-20), d12, d8, d6, d4, plus a second d20 numbered 0-9
Q: What’s the weirdest substance you’ve ever seen dice made from?
A: I saw for sale on eBay once a polyhedral set made of human feces (prison made). No, I did not buy it.
Image courtesy of Kevin Cook/DiceCollector.com
Q: Which dice goes best with a steak dinner, and why?
A: Loaded dice. You can’t have a steak dinner without having something loaded (baked potato), or being loaded 🙂
Q: If you could pick one celebrity to be a spokesperson for dice, who would it be?
A: It would not be Andrew “Dice” Clay. Probably Vin Diesel as he is a gamer (not well known fact).
Q: What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked concerning dice? Your answer?
A: How much would you charge us (a couple) to dump all of your dice into a hot tub and allow them to have sex in the tub. I turned them down. Do you know how many years it would take to separate all of those dice and get them back into their containers? 🙂
For you dice fans out there, if you’ve got a lot of dice, let us know how many in the Comments section. Who knows? Maybe you’ve got a shot at taking Kevin’s dice crown from him. But we kind of doubt it.
Keep rolling those bones, and while you’re at it, Stay Nerdy!
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