Obsessive hoarder selling his entire life's stash including American sports cars and vintage machinery for £30,000 after finding new love and realising 'I didn't need all this stuff'

  • Hoarder Anthony Skipper, 50, couldn't stand seeing anything thrown away
  • He would even pick things out of skips and took items from friends
  • He says his hoarding obsession peaked after the break-up of his marriage
  • But after finding new love earlier this year, he vowed to change his lifestyle
  • He is now selling off nearly everything he has amassed in a huge auction
  • He hopes the sell-off, in Lenwade, Norfolk this weekend, will make £30,000

By Richard Spillett

PUBLISHED: 05:37 EST, 19 March 2014 | UPDATED: 03:08 EST, 20 March 2014

One of Britain's biggest hoarders is selling nearly everything he owns after finding new love.

Anthony Skipper, 50, couldn't bare see anything go to waste and quickly amassed a huge collection of unwanted machinery, vehicles, household gadgets and furniture.

But, after he started seeing a new girlfriend this year, he vowed to change his lifestyle and is now selling off more than 800 items he has collected.

Anthony Skipper is to hold an auction this weekend, selling off more than 800 items he has collected in years as an obsessive hoarder

Anthony Skipper is to hold an auction this weekend, selling off more than 800 items he has collected in years as an obsessive hoarder

Mr Skipper couldn't stand seeing anything go to waste and collected hundreds of items of furniture, machinery and anything else that had been thrown away

Mr Skipper couldn't stand seeing anything go to waste and collected hundreds of items of furniture, machinery and anything else that had been thrown away

The items, which range from classic American sports cars to vintage farm machinery, will go under the hammer in Lenwade, Norfolk, on Saturday.

Mr Skipper said: 'I’ve always been fascinated by buying old things and doing them up - I’ve collected all of my life.

 

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'But when my marriage fell apart, about eight years ago, I went into overdrive and just collected everything and anything to help fill in what was missing from my life.'

Anthony, of Felthorpe, Norfolk, decided to turn his life around after he started seeing Karen Bradley, 51, of Whitwell, Derbyshire, in January.

Mr Skipper vowed to change his life and sell off his huge hoard after meeting girlfriend Karen Bradley
Mr Skipper vowed to change his life and sell off his huge hoard after meeting girlfriend Karen Bradley

Mr Skipper vowed to change his life and sell off his huge hoard after meeting new girlfriend Karen Bradley

The more than 700 items to be auctioned include six lawnmowers, four garden wendy houses and assorted pieces of farm machinery

The more than 700 items to be auctioned include six lawnmowers, four garden wendy houses and assorted pieces of farm machinery

This giant Winnebago camper van is also up for grabs in the auction, which Mr Skipper hopes will earn him around £30,000

This giant Winnebago camper van is also up for grabs in the auction, which Mr Skipper hopes will earn him around £30,000

He first met fellow rock 'n' roll music-lover Karen around 30 years ago but they got back in touch with each other again through Facebook.

He said: 'I came to a realisation around Christmas time that I didn’t need all of this stuff and needed to move on with my life.

'It came around the same time as I started a new relationship and I’ve now got a totally new outlook on life.'

The most valuable item up for grabs will be his 1965 Chevrolet C10 panel van, priced at between £4,000 and £5,000.

Also up for sale is a 30ft Roma caravan, a Winnebago, old bicycles, furniture, sheds, a fruit machine, a carousel horse, a hay cutter, books, old tools and flower pots.

Anthony hopes to pocket £30,000 if everything goes - including his eight motor vehicles.

He added: 'You see these television shows about hoarders and think, how can people be like that? But that was me.

'I didn’t realise how bad it had become until I started gathering all this stuff together, which took a good few weeks.

'I’ve collected things from auctions, bought stuff off friends and picked things up in skips. I can just about remember where everything here came from and how much I paid for it all.'

'We hoarders are a special breed and I’ll always collect things - but I’ll never be as bad as this again'

'ALADDIN'S CAVE' - AROUND 800 ITEMS ARE UP FOR SALE

Norwich Livestock Market, which is organising the sale, have described Mr Skipper's collection as an 'Aladdin's cave'.

Anthony Skipper is to hold an auction this weekend, selling off more than 800 items he has collected and hoarded over the years. Picture: Ian Burt..

Among the higher-end items up for grabs are a large Winebago Motor Home, fitted with a Chevrolet Engine, and a fully-operational 1965 V8 Chevrolet van.

Other vehicles in the auction include a 'flat-bed drag racing truck', fitted with a Jaguar engine, a 1994 Chevrolet pick-up truck, a Mercedes saloon, two caravans and numerous trailers (pictured).

The list of 642 lots also features some more bizarre items, collected by Mr Skipper during his years as a compulsive hoarder.

The auction list includes seven lawnmovers, 24 desks, five chandeliers, hundreds of work tools, 11 fire extinguishers, more than 20 smoke alarms, five flood lights, 11 packs of laminate flooring and five children's wendy houses.

Among the stranger items listed are 'a goat tether chain', a 'very heavy' German brass lamp, 'slurry tanker pipes' and 'a quantity of 8ft railway sleepers'.

A full list of the items is available at www.norwichlivestockmarket.com.

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They are filming with ITV tomorrow!!

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They are filming with ITV tomorrow!!

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At age 51, Karen is a beautiful lady, indeed! One can only imagine how beautiful she was 30 years ago when Anthony first met her!

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Amazing what love can do for one!

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The heading says 'american sports cars'. There's none in the list of vehicles shown.

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my current theory is hoarding is associated with a childhood experience of abandonment/fear of loss - so I guess when a real relationship comes along - can just drop that baggage ... ?

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That is not a giant Winnebego, camper, it's only a small one, please get your facts right for once.

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American sports cars??? A Chevy pick up and a tiny Winnebago??

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Anthony Skipper, 50, couldn't bare---thank God. I'd hate to see him naked.

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Good for you Anthony. Wishing you and Karen a happy future together.

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