More than 6,000 vintage comics, 3,000 vintage chemistry sets and thousands of items of Beatles memorabilia are just part of a collection amassed by a computer programmer from Nottingham. The man who died earlier this year is being dubbed “Britain’s biggest hoarder.” His collection, bought mainly from eBay, also included over 4,000 rare books, a collection of Russian and American space exploration memorabilia and signed photos and letters relating to JFK, Winston Churchill, Gandhi and Elvis Presley. Amongst the music memorabilia are 12 Rickenbacker guitars from the 1960s and 70s which could sell for £10,000 each and a rare Hard Day’s Night LP signed by the Beatles which could be worth £4,000.

The man’s terraced house became so full that he moved into bed and breakfast accommodation a year before his death at the age of 44. He had also rented a one bedroom flat, two garages, part of a neighbour’s garden and 24 council wheelie bins to house the rest of his hoard. He intended to keep buying until retirement, when he was planning to unpack it all and live off the proceeds.

The whole collection is estimated to be worth between £500,000 and £4 million. It is due to be sold by auction in Lincoln, UK, later this month. Many years of careful buying and thousands of pounds had been invested in amassing this vast hoard, yet sadly all of this man’s efforts proved fruitless as he left it all behind.

The computer programmer was wise to prepare for retirement, but let’s not forget that we have a Creator, who loves us and longs to provide for us His children, if only we would turn to Him. Listen to the words of Jesus:

“So I tell you, don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds. Can all your worries add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the wildflowers grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even King Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers … So you can be even more sure that God will clothe you. Don’t have so little faith! Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them. Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.”
Matthew 6:25-33 (NCV)

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This may sound like a Twenty-First Century case of compulsive online shopping, which it is, but it is also remarkably similar to a story told by Jesus of a fictional First Century farmer, who hoarded his grain. To read it for yourself, click here.