The ballerina in this novelty liquor bottle produced by the Dutch distillery Lucas Bols dances to the tune of a waltz.

What started off as one shelf to cover a water pipe in Victor Gauci’s yard has turned into metres upon metres of shelving holding at least 3,700 bottles.

But the 72-year-old former carpenter, who opens the doors to his collection every December, prefers to call it a “quasi-collection” because, he insists, it is not schematic.

“I don’t collect specific types of bottles, but all sorts of bottles… that’s why it’s a quasi-collection,” Mr Gauci explained from his garage, tucked at the side of a road in Mosta not far from the parish church.

Although there is no particular order to the display, and soda bottles stand on shelves adjacent to others holding perfume bottles, similar-looking bottles have been grouped together.

“I have at least 3,700 bottles and I remember each and every single one of them,” the pensioner said as he looked through a box of bottles that someone left on his doorstep, singling out the ones he does not already have.

“It all started 15 years ago when I needed to hide a pipe in the yard and I decided to hang up a shelf where I could put some cactus plants… But I put four bottles instead… and the quasi-collection kept growing,” he said.

As the assortment of containers kept increasing, the father-of-three had to move the collection into the garage five years ago.

And that is when Mr Gauci decided to open the door and allow passers-by a peek at the bottles during Christmas time and at the same time collect donations in aid of Puttinu Cares.

“Everyone likes to drink during the festive season, so I thought an exhibition of bottles is quite appropriate,” he said.

Mr Gauci’s exhibition is usually open between December 8 and 31. However, this year he remained open in January as word spread on social media about his collection and people kept turning up to see it.

Asked about his favourite bottle, he points at one that is smaller than two centimetres, secured with a cork as it probably contained iodine. It is dwarfed by the largest bottle – 1.2m tall –standing a couple of feet away.

Mr Gauci (above) has a vast collection of at least 3,700 bottles of all shapes, colours and sizes, including an antique baby bottle (right).

A bottle that he is quite proud of is one with a tiny ballerina inside, which starts twirling around and skipping to the tune of a waltz when wound up.

The bottles come in different shapes – camels, guns, shoes, cats and dogs – and various ages. He insists, however, that he would not part with any of them – no matter the sum offered.

“Money is not everything in life. I enjoy coming here, sometimes while dinner is being prepared, and just spend some time with them [the bottles] and some coffee,” Mr Gauci said, as he reached out for his daily afternoon glass of coffee.