From passion to obsession: Ankara man's vast collection of 4,000 toy cars

Emre Balcı, a 35-year-old residing in Ankara, carefully preserves his collection of around 4,000 toy cars that he has gathered from Türkiye and different countries in a room of his house. Balcı, who works as a manager in a company, said that he has been interested in toy cars since his childhood. Balcı stated that he started building his collection with a toy car he bought 21 years ago, and since that day, he couldn't give up collecting toy cars. Balcı also mentioned that his collection includes toy cars that are produced in limited quantities worldwide. Balcı explained that he collects toy cars from the cities he visits. He said, 'I travel a lot. It feels like going on vacation, but actually, I'm going to buy toy cars. My goal is not to go on holiday but to acquire cars from different cities. Wherever I go, I need to find the cars I want.' Balcı stated that the majority of the pieces in his collection are brought from abroad. He mentioned that in Türkiye, there are not many models available, and all the high-end models come from different countries. Balcı said that he travels from city to city to buy toy cars. He mentioned a specific incident, saying, 'One day, I went to Rize just to buy toy cars. While I was there, I also took a tour of the Black Sea region, and by the time I reached my destination, I realized that I had bought 25-30 cars.' Balcı also mentioned that he buys toy cars online. He explained that he places pre-orders for toy cars, making payments 6 months to 1 year in advance. He noted that there are cars that have not been produced yet, but once the companies manufacture them, he will receive them.