Macon man's toy solider collection sets Guinness record

A Macon lawyer's collection of 1,020 toy soldiers with no duplicates has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest such private collection in the world.

Last month, Jonathan Waters, who has been collecting soldiers since he was a child, set out his collection for display at the Indian Mounds in Macon with hopes of authenticating his collection as the largest.

His fascination with toy soldiers has been fueled by an interest in military history.

Waters, 52, was in court Friday afternoon and couldn't be reached for comment, but his wife said he was informed Thursday that he'd officially set the record.

"He was smiling from ear to ear, and he was just like, 'I can't believe it, I've got a Guinness world record!'" Rachel Waters said.

She said setting the record wasn't easy.

"Guinness is very strict," she said. "They had to be metal, they had to be commercial. You can't just paint your own."

The soldiers in his collection come from Europe, Russia, Mexico and other places.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Macon man's toy solider collection sets Guinness record ."