My collection of over 1,200 Catan related items is now open to view.
Back in 2020, I decided to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Catan by making my collection available to the public. Sadly Covid came along an put paid to thos plans for a while. Also I then sold the building my previous display area was in.
Now I have things sorted and I have a new larger display area of around 1,200 square feet. It is still not enough, but it is a big step forward.
There is no entry fee or other access costs to visit and/or play a game - there is not even a gift shop! However, due to the location being a private space these visits need to be pre-booked.
What you can see...
My Catan collection has been growing steadily over the past few years. In September 2019 I also merged a large international collection from the Netherlands into the display too. Currently the collection contains over 1,200 different boxed sets, extensions, scenarios, other Catan games, memorabilia and merchandise. Most of these can be seen in the public display.
As well as the many rare sets for people to view, I am also keen to have as many sets as possible available for people to play. Subject to time constraints people can choose to learn and play not only the base Catan game but also the various extensions and scenarios as well. I also have play sets for many of the rarer standalone versions of Catan including Catan 3D anniversary, Water of Life, Communication in Catan, Ancient Egypt, and Starfarers
You can also view the rarest item in the collection. A very unusual pre-launch factory test copy of Catan. This set is signed by the game creator in 1995 (the year the game was released) and features many hand written components. The draft format instructions/almanac with the game have hand written changes to be made to the final production version. While it is unknown how many of these tests sets were made, or how many still exist, this is a very unusual item and an interesting part of Catan history.
Why put the Catan collection on display
I am a keen collector and part of the passion with Catan is a desire to share it with others so that they too become keen players (and/or collectors) of this great game.
Also I am not wanting to collect the game simply to store it in cartons that never get looked at. Catan is a game to be played, enjoyed and shared. Therefore I would much prefer to have my items on display and being used rather than just gathering dust out of sight. I also believe it is a rare opportunity for people to see just how vast the Catan universe has expanded from the first base game back in 1995. While I do not believe this is the largest Catan collection in the world, I do feel it is a significant collection in its own right and it is unusual to see so many of the hard to find games in one place.
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