A Beatles fan from Argentina has turned his collection of memorabilia into a museum dedicated to the group. The collection of Rodolfo Vazquez, 53, opens today on Avenue Corrientes, Buenos Aires.

Among his treasures are a brick from the Cavern Club, part of the stage from Hamburg's Star-Club, a cheque for £11 signed by Ringo Starr, and a box of condoms bearing the names of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Vazquez became a Beatles fan at the age of 10 after receiving their album Rubber Soul. His collection now contains more than 8,500 items, and in 2001 the Guinness World Records recognised him as having the planet's largest collection, at a time when his collection amounted to 5,612 items.

The museum contains just one quarter of Vazquez's collection, which includes autographs, toys, concert tickets and programmes, a pair of drumsticks signed by Pete Best, and Beatles-branded wigs, crockery, chewing gum and music boxes.

The idea is to show my collection permanently. In a year I would like to rotate the items on display with others from my collection. Otherwise all of it would be closed into boxes and trunks without anyone being able to enjoy them.

The Beatles Museum is at Paseo La Plaza, 1660 Corrientes Avenue, Buenos Aires, Argentina.