Moldovan collector Petru Costin has taken another major step in his long-running record-breaking journey after presenting an extraordinary collection of 17,000 horseshoes at the “Petru Costin” Collection Gallery in Ialoveni. Each horseshoe in the collection had reportedly been used for its original purpose before becoming part of Costin’s extensive archive.

The massive presentation was organised as part of an attempt to secure recognition for the largest collection of horseshoes in the world. Costin and his team spent more than 13 consecutive hours presenting and counting every horseshoe in the collection. To ensure that the evidence could be properly reviewed, each horseshoe was photographed and assigned a unique identification number. The detailed documentation is intended to demonstrate the total number of items and ensure that individual horseshoes are not counted more than once. All documentation and supporting evidence from the event will now be submitted to World Records for verification.

Representatives of the record organisation will review the materials to determine whether the collection complies with all requirements for an official world-record title. According to the organisers, the verification process could take at least two weeks, after which a formal decision is expected. Until that review is complete, the achievement remains a world-record attempt rather than a confirmed new record.

If approved, Costin’s collection of 17,000 horseshoes would become the largest collection of its kind recognised World Records. This is not Costin’s first attempt to enter the record books. In 2011, he presented a collection containing approximately 3,200 horseshoes, earning world-record recognition. A decade later, in 2021, Costin surpassed his earlier achievement by presenting a significantly larger collection of 13,800 horseshoes.

His latest total of 17,000 represents an increase of 3,200 horseshoes over his 2021 collection and more than five times the number he presented in 2011. Costin’s record journey demonstrates how the collection has grown dramatically over the years.

From 3,200 horseshoes in 2011, the collection expanded to 13,800 in 2021 and has now reached 17,000. The newest attempt required significant organisation, not only to gather the objects but also to document and present them according to record-verification standards. The large-scale presentation at the “Petru Costin” Collection Gallery placed Ialoveni at the centre of an unusual international record attempt. With every horseshoe individually counted, photographed and numbered, Costin and his team have completed the evidence-gathering stage of the challenge.