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'Britain's Biggest Hoarder' Dies Suddenly Leaving Behind Collection Worth Up To £4m

'Britain's Biggest Hoarder' Dies Suddenly Leaving Behind Collection Worth Up To £4m

The late owner ended up hoarding so much he was forced to move into a bed and breakfast for the last year of his life

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

An unlikely treasure trove worth up to £4 million has been unearthed at a terraced house in Nottingham, where the owner had crammed more than 60,000 items into the property.

The collection had been stacked floor-to-ceiling in every room, with everything from unopened parcels dating back to 2002 through to valuable collectables and antiques.

The late owner ended up hoarding so much he was forced to move into a bed and breakfast for the last year of his life, as he'd run out of space for even himself.

BNPS

He also rented a one bedroom flat, two garages, part of a neighbour's garden and 24 council wheelie bins to help store the belongings.

Auctioneers were called to clear the three bedroom house by the hoarder's brother, who'd had no idea of the sheer scale of his sibling's hoarding.

It took a team of eight people in three vans 180 hours to empty the house, over the course of six weeks. As the home was so jam-packed, they could only get through by removing boxes and bags in front of them to clear a path.

An auction house will now be selling the collection off in 3,000 lots over a four-day sale, with an overall estimate placed at anywhere between £500,000 ($646,000) and £4 million ($5.17m).

BNPS

BNPS

BNPS

A total of 18 members of staff have spent the last four weeks unwrapping the items - many of which are in brand new or pristine condition - discovering thousands of items of Beatles memorabilia, along with signed photos and letters relating to JFK, Winston Churchill, Gandhi and Elvis Presley.

The hoard also includes more than 6,000 vintage comics, more than 4,000 rare books, 3,000 vintage chemistry sets, brand new cameras and lenses and 12 Rickenbacker guitars from the 1960s and '70s.

On top of all that, auctioneers found an 'excellent' collection of Russian and American space exploration memorabilia including slides, photos and cinema reels, plus radio equipment, ghetto blasters from the 1980s, Airfix models and jewellery.

The hoarder was a bachelor who lived alone at the house, who died suddenly earlier this year at the age of 44.

BNPS
BNPS

He had worked as a computer programmer and it is thought he started hoarding around 18 years ago, having had the intention of selling it all to fund his retirement.

No one knows where he found all the money to buy so much, with neighbours saying a Royal Mail van filled with parcels visited the address once a week without fail.

Terry Woodcock, of Unique Auctions, of Lincoln, has been tasked with selling the collection, saying he's never seen anything like it in his 50-year career - describing the late owner as 'Britain's biggest hoarder'.

He said: "This collection is beyond belief.

"I met the man's brother at the house and he was just as shocked as I was. He had no idea his brother lived like he did.

BNPS
BNPS

"His house and garage were literally crammed full of items so much so that he had spent the last year of his life living in a B&B.

"He rented a one bedroom flat just up the road and that was the same as well as two rented garages.

"I have no idea how he paid for it all and neither does his brother.

"He was a compulsive buyer of parcels that he was never going to open."

It is thought the man bought most of the collection via eBay, but also attended conferences and conventions for some items.

Woodcock continued: "He didn't buy rubbish, a lot of it was top quality stuff.

BNPS

"After he passed away his brother's first inclination was to send it all to the landfill. Luckily he didn't.

"We couldn't get in through the front door so we had to go around the back.

"We were totally amazed at what we saw. Everywhere in the property was full to the ceiling, it was very difficult to move around.

"It was impossible to get up the stairs and you couldn't see the top of the staircase.

"We found out that when he filled up the house the owner rented two garages and when they were full he rented part of the garden next door."

BNPS

He added: "One dealer who has been to see us reckons it could be worth £4m."

The Beatles haul includes a rare Hard Day's Night LP signed by the band, which could be worth £4,000. The 6,000 vintage comics also include a rare Justice League America Number One which is valued at £1,200, while the Rickenbacker guitars could sell for £10,000 each.

The sale takes place between 22 and 25 October.

Featured Image Credit: BNPS

Topics: UK News, News