Geoff’s collection of buses is far from Dinky - PICTURES and VIDEO

That pretty much sums up the life story of Walsall man Geoff Price who is proudly in the Guinness Book of World Records for boasting the largest collection of model buses.

He was given his very first as a present when he was eight years old and has been gathering them up in their droves ever since. This October will mark his 60th year as a collector.

Father of two Geoff told the Express & Star: "As a child in my day, I lived in a village and you had to come up with your own enjoyment.

"You either spotted trains or you tracked bus numbers. You had to make your own fun.

"For me it became collecting model buses. My parents bought me my first one and I just continued having buses ever since."

Today he has amassed a total of 14,278 models which take up three rooms and a loft at his home on Newquay Road while he also has several larger models, big enough for a child to sit in, in his garage.

The hoard features a host of Dinky and Corgi toys, with models dating as far back as 1906 to modern versions of Arriva and National Express variations.

Geoff's favourite is from the iconic West Midlands bus company Midland Red which was made by Chad Valley.

But his collection is far from just an obscure hobby.

Some of the models are worth thousands of pounds each and Geoff only has one of each model, not several of the same bus with different branding.

His passion has taken him and his wife Linda all over the world scooping up miniature buses from countries such as Japan and Sri Lanka.

Each model is not only another number to the haul but they also serve has relics of their place and time.

Geoff, who is now retired, having been an organiser for classic car and transport shows for 30 years, said: "People do think it is unusual until they see the collection.

"When they see it they can't believe it. It is like the history of toys from all over the world.

"Some are made of wood because that is all they had.

"I have 14,278 at the moment. You are probably talking a few hundred thousand pounds worth of models.

"We just go to different countries and see what we can find.

"The next trip we are planning is Hong Kong."

Linda said she was also 'on board' with her husband's collecting.

"If I am not on board now after nearly 45 years of marriage I never will be," she said.

"It was a bit strange in the beginning, I had heard of people collecting trains, my own father used to have a train set but buses was a new thing altogether.

"When he used to live at home he had them on planks of wood and I said 'You are not having that when we move in together'.

"I have got used to it. He certainly can't afford to divorce me now.

"We have had lots of wonderful holidays abroad and met lots of wonderful collectors.

"The only thing is I never want to move house again. They all have to be wrapped up and they can't touch each other in case they get damaged."

Visit transtar-promotions.co.uk for more information about Geoff and his collection.