A treasure trove of 60,000 items which filled a terraced house, a rental flat, two garages and 24 wheelie bins belonging to Britain’s biggest hoarder has sold for £160,000 after his death.
Ramann Shukla, 64, died earlier this year, leaving behind an enormous collection of items that were stacked from floor to ceiling at his mother’s three-bedroom terraced home in Nottingham.
His hoard was so vast that he had to move into a bed and breakfast for the last year of his life because he ran out of room and many of the parcels were unopened.
Following his death from a heart attack in June, it took six weeks for eight men to clear out his entire haul – the scale of which left Mr Shukla’s brother shocked.
By the time it was sorted and ready to sell, Lincoln-based Unique auctions took four days to go through all 2,021 lots.
It took auctioneers four days to get through all 2,021 lots created from Ramann Shukla’s haul of goods, with buyers coming from as far as Russia to look through each item
Charity shop worker Ramann Shukla left behind a collection of more than 60,000 items at his mother’s home in Nottingham, also using a rented flat, two garages and 24 wheelie bins to hold the treasure trove of collectibles
Stingray memorabilia was one of 2,021 lots to go up for auction in Lincoln last week, after the haul of items were unearthed in a terraced house earlier this year
The auction house said it would take a few days to calculate the final figure but bids of over £160,000 were received during the online event.
Speaking after nearly eleven continuous hours on the rostrum, auctioneer Terry Woodcock joked: ‘That is it. I am looking forward to getting home.’
After a chance to grab his breath, Mr Woodcock said: ‘It will take us a few days to work out what it all went for.’
Among the highlights were a collection of memorabilia on former US President John F Kennedy which sold for £1,450.
There were more than 6,000 vintage comics, including the likes of Batman, The Flash and Superman, found amongst the haul
Thousands of items of Beatles memorabilia were found among Mr Shukla’s treasure trove. A book of songs by George Harrison fetched £750 at auction, while another Harrison collection of songs and recordings from Live in Japan smashed its £20 estimate, selling for £850
Among a huge collection of Thunderbirds items, a signed photograph of the show’s creator, Gerry Anderson, also smashed the pre-auction estimate of £20, selling for £110
It is thought the hoarder started his collection in 2002, spending the past 18 years purchasing various items – some of which were never opened
Collectables were stacked from floor to ceiling at Mr Shukla’s terraced home in Nottingham. Auctioneers said they had never seen anything like his hoard of items
Most of the haul covered electrical items and collectables, but while clearing a path through the terraced house, auctioneers also discovered jewellery including a ring, left and an ornaments, right,
Hundreds of radios, tape recorders and other pieces of electrical equipment had to be sorted through ahead of last week’s auction in Lincoln
An ‘Apollo’ book signed by Alan Bean -the 4th man to walk on the moon – was estimated to fetch £25 but sold for £360.
A signed book by former Indian Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru sold for £500, more than 50 times its pre-auction estimate of between £10 and £20.
And a book of songs by Beatles legend George Harrison fetched £750 – way over its guide price of £30 to £50.
Another George Harrison collection featuring songs and recordings from ‘Live in Japan’ also smashed its £20 estimate, selling for £850.
Other examples included a signed letter by the late Lord Mountbatten which had a pre-auction estimate of just £20 but fetched £165.
A collection of jigsaw puzzles picturing James Bond films Thunderball and Goldfinger also went up for sale last week
Lot 10 on the list was a collection of DVDs, videos, books and promotional materials for various James Bond films through the years
Travel and science books and historically significant newspapers were sorted and filed by auctioneers in Lincoln to be sold off
Vintage comics including the Beano and Topper were founded bundled together inside the charity shop workers home
Science equipment and educational books were also found within a haul that stunned the hoarder’s brother, who had no idea about the scale of his sibling’s collection
Environmental laboratory kits from Germany were among some of the more niche items found, they also went up for auction
A signed photograph of Thunderbirds creator, Gerry Anderson, also smashed the pre-auction estimate of £20, selling for £110.
And six Pablo Picasso prints, valued pre-auction at £30, went for £220.
Some of the higher valued items also smashed their pre-auction estimates – with a Rickenbacker guitar valued at £500 going for three times that figure at £1,500.
Stunned auctioneers were called to clear the three bedroom house by the hoarder’s brother who had no idea of the sheer scale of his sibling’s collection.
It took a team of eight men in three vans 180 hours over six weeks to empty the house of all the items.
They could only access the house by removing boxes and bags in front of them, clearing a path as they went.
Assembly kits for scale models of gunships the HMS Victory and HMS Prince were sold together at auction last week
There were shelves full of Bruce Lee and martial arts memorabilia including cut outs of the iconic actor and a range of books on kung fu
A copy of Marvel’s Doctor Strange from 1968 went up for sale, along with graphic novels for Captain Scarlet, Superman and hundreds more characters
A lot of the items are in a brand new or pristine condition and haven’t been opened or touched with Mr Shukla apparently storing them until his retirement
All 18 members of staff at the auction house tasked with selling it all have spent the last four weeks unwrapping the packages and set aside three rooms to store it all in.
The eclectic hoard included thousands of items of Beatles memorabilia, signed photos and letters relating to JFK, Winston Churchill, Gandhi and Elvis Presley, over 6,000 vintage comics, over 4,000 rare books, 3,000 vintage chemistry sets, brand new cameras and lenses and 12 Rickenbacker guitars from the 1960s and ’70s.
There was also an ‘excellent’ collection of Russian and American space exploration memorabilia that included slides and photos as well as cinema reels, radio equipment, ghetto blasters from the 1980s, Airfix models and lots of jewellery.
A lot of the items were in brand new or pristine condition from where they were not opened or touched.
American newspapers dating back to the 1960s were kept in decent condition by the collector, along with small photographs. Auctioneers said there was a lot of interest in space-related items, particularly from Russian buyers
With an eye for potential collectibles, Mr Shukla even purchased rare stamps from India and Japan to add to his various items
Two garages with various items belonging to Mr Shukla were also cleared out by auctioneers as they sold off his treasure trove
Mr Woodcock, of Unique Auctions, in Lincoln, was tasked with selling the collection and got through 120 lots an hour.
The auctioneer said he has never seen anything like it in 50 years of working in the business and described the late owner as Britain’s biggest hoarder.
‘We had interest from all over the world,’ Mr Woodcock revealed.
‘There was lots of interest in the space lots, especially from Russia.
‘We even had a Russian TV company come to Lincoln and film the lots before the auction.’
Among the piles of books pulled from the Nottingham home, two proved to be a success. Apollo, signed by Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon sold for £360, well-over the £25 guide price. While a signed book by former Indian Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru sold for £500, more than 50 times its pre-auction estimate of between £10 and £20
Dozens of unboxed electrical items were found stacked around the house, auctioneers said they had never seen anything like the collection kept by Mr Shukla
Terry Woodcock was tasked with selling the collection and would have to go through up to 120 lots in a single hour, spending four days selling the entire haul