LEGO Star Wars collector amasses 1,000 sets after toy helped him heal from hand surgery
After Fredrick Oliver (Canada) got hand surgery in 1999, a doctor gave him a piece of simple advice: rebuild your fine motor skills by playing with something small.
Painting model trains would work, as would woodcarving or needlepoint – but the Edmonton native chose LEGO, as their creative sets reminded him of his imagination as a child. Brick by brick, he assembled the pieces into a shape resembling a scene from Star Wars, and the experience captivated his attention while healing his hand in the process.
27 years later, Fredrick’s hand is doing “95% better” – and his passion for LEGO has developed alongside his dexterity.
With dozens of sets proudly displayed across shelves and tables in his basement, last year he reclaimed his own Guinness World Records title for the largest collection of LEGO® Star Wars sets in the world, with an official total of 993. The collector also has another application in the works, which would put his total at 1,051.
“It is a cool accomplishment!” he told GWR.
Despite his current love for LEGO, Frederick says he surprisingly wasn’t into them as a child, instead opting for other toys. But he always liked the Star Wars movies, and he appreciated how the brand incorporates so much of the universe’s lore into their sets.
“I grew up during the original Star Wars trilogy, so they were a big part of my childhood,” he said. “I think I’m drawn towards Star Wars specifically because it’s a good escape from the realities of our world.”
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As a young adult, Fredrick worked in construction, and after years of manual labour he eventually needed bilateral carpal tunnel surgery. Unfortunately the procedure was unsuccessful, and for one year, he was almost unable to move his hand at all.
Luckily, a chiropractor stepped in to perform three treatments to rebuild his muscle fibers, and with a lot of physical therapy – and a lot of minifigures – he was able to get his function back.
“The Star Wars [prequels] came out in 1999, and that’s when I had my surgery and started collecting,” said Fredrick. “So I was fortunate to be in right at the beginning.”
And beyond luck, Frederick built his collection by being incredibly persistent.
He constantly monitors websites like Facebook Marketplace or eBay looking for new finds, and gets special tips from other collectors by word-of-mouth. With a treasure trove of this size, he’s earned a bit of a reputation for himself within the community, and his passion is absolutely infectious.
In addition to the classic Death Star and podracer LEGO sets, Fredrick says he has “pretty much everything” the brand has ever produced for the series, including other rare or vintage items.
He’s amassed so many sets that they spill over on to tables and have migrated on to the walls – yet shockingly he only displays 30 - 40% of his collection, as the full amount would take up the rest of his home.
Nevertheless, there are a few items that he still is keeping an eye out for: mainly the solid gold Boba Fett set, or the gold-silver-and-bronze Boba Fett display.
“If I could find one for the right price, I would probably be interested in that,” he said, unsurprisingly.
And as long as LEGO keeps producing Star Wars sets, Fredrick will continue to purchase. He hasn’t set a limit on how much he will spend on his collection, but did say that he will keep going until he gets sick of it.
“I think I’m drawn to LEGO for two reasons: the creativity – you can build pretty much anything that you can come up with – and the imagination,” he said.
“I think a lot of people lose that as they get older, and this certainly helps keep your imagination young.”
And with this many LEGO sets in his collection, we’re sure that he’ll keep building up his passion, brick-by-brick.
So congratulations, Fredrick – you are Officially Amazing!