Clem Reinkemeyer, 87, was stunned to receive a Guinness World Record for his collection of 8,882 unique bricks, secretly counted and documented by his daughter Celia and son-in-law Dan Bisett while he was out of town.

Returning home to the surprise, he said, `It was a big surprise, and I`m very happy to have this certificate.

Reinkemeyer, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, has been collecting these bricks for 40 years, with his oldest brick dating back to AD 100, though most are from 1870 to 1910, a peak period for brickmaking. His collection includes rare finds like a misspelled `Tulsa` brick with a backward `S` and a sidewalk brick from a Washington facility where the Pentagon now stands.

`Bricks have names,and you cantrace them back historically. It`s unusual, but I like it,` he expressed.