A man deemed ‘Britain’s biggest hoarder’ left behind more than 60,000 items worth up to £4 million after his sudden death.
- An English man, who died suddenly at the age of 44, left behind a house full of items worth up to £4 million.
- His unusual collection includes rare antiques, signed photographs, vintage cameras, and memorabilia of celebrities like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Winston Churchill.
- Auctioneer Terry Woodcock exclaimed: “This collection is beyond belief!”
Every room of the now-deceased man’s home had been piled up with various items from antiques to unopened packages dating back to 2002, LADbible reveals. What is more, the former owner of the unusual treasure had to move into a hostel for the last months of his life, as he had no space left in his three-bedroom house.
The hoarder’s brother had called auctioneers to clear the property. However, at the time, he had no idea how much stuff his late sibling has gathered over the years.
A team of 8 people worked for 180 hours to empty the stacked up house.
The worth of all of the items found in the man’s home was estimated to be between £500,000 ($646,000) and £4 million ($5.17m). Another team of 18 employees of the auction house that will be selling the odd collection has spent the jaw-dropping amount of four weeks unwrapping the belongings.
Curiously, most of the things the team has found are in brand new or pristine condition. The items include signed photos and letters relating to JFK, Winston Churchill, Gandhi, and Elvis Presley, thousands of items of Beatles collectibles, and thousands of rare books and comics.
The auctioneers also found an ‘excellent’ collection of Russian and American space exploration relics. Other interesting findings were 3,000 vintage chemistry sets, brand new cameras and lenses, and 12 Rickenbacker guitars from the 1960s and ’70s.
Every week, a Royal Mail van filled with parcels visited the hoarder’s address, neighbors say.
Terry Woodcock, of Unique Auctions, shares he has never seen such a vast collection in his 50-year career. He exclaimed “This collection is beyond belief,” adding:
“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. 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.”
It remains a mystery where the man found all the money for his belongings. However, it was revealed that he started collecting the items 18 years ago. He was working as a computer programmer and had planned to sell the collectibles to fund his retirement. Sadly, he died suddenly, at the age of only 44.
Britain’s biggest hoarder was a “compulsive buyer” who never had the intention to open the parcels he purchased.
The man reportedly bought most of the items through eBay. Moreover, the stuff he purchased was “top quality,” as Woodcock claims. He explained that they even found out that the hoarder had rented two garages and a part of the garden next door, as he needed extra space for everything he had bought. The auctioneer said:
“We were totally amazed at what we saw. Everywhere in the property was full to the ceiling… One dealer who has been to see us reckons it could be worth £4m.”
The official sale will occur between October 22-25.
