South Carolina Man Says His Sock Collection Has Passed 2,000 Pairs

Darryl Parker’s sock collection began with a Father’s Day gift. Since then, the North Augusta, South Carolina, resident says relatives have continued adding to it for birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions—and the collection has grown to more than 2,000 pairs. Parker, a retired firefighter and paramedic, told WRDW/WAGT that his wife eventually pointed out how many socks he had accumulated. His grandchildren then suggested turning the unusual collection into a Guinness World Records attempt. The record Parker is pursuing is for the largest collection of socks. According to the report, the current holder is Jim Donovan, a retired CBS Philadelphia news anchor whose collection was counted at 1,531 unique pairs in 2025. Parker said he has already exceeded that total, but he does not plan to submit his collection immediately. Instead, he intends to continue gathering socks through the end of the year before sending them to Guinness World Records for official verification. The reported total has not yet been confirmed by Guinness World Records, so Parker’s claim remains an unofficial count at this stage. If he secures the record, he said socks donated by members of the public will go to local shelters.