Britain’s biggest hoard stuffed into one-bedroom flat sells for £160,000 at auction

The secret treasure trove of ­Britain’s ­biggest hoarder has sold at auction for more than £160,000.

Ramann Shukla amassed the 60,000-item collection in his one-bedroom flat and his late mother’s terraced house.

The bachelor kept the hoard secret from his family and colleagues at the charity shop where he worked.

Ramann, 64, who died earlier this year, collected so much stuff he had to move out of his home into a B&B.

His record-breaking haul consisted of unopened parcels that had been ­delivered to the properties since 2002.

Inside were Beatles memorabilia and signed photos and letters relating to John F Kennedy, Winston Churchill and Elvis Presley.

He also bought 6,000 comics, 4,000 rare books, 3,000 chemistry sets, cameras and lenses and 12 Rickenbacker guitars.

Ramann also collected space memorabilia, cinema reels, radio equipment, 1980s ghetto blasters, Airfix models and jewellery. Mystery surrounds how he could afford the items he ordered on eBay.

Neighbours said a Royal Mail van would turn up “without fail” each week.

It is believed the former university lecturer began collecting so he could sell them to pay for his retirement.

He died from a heart attack at his mother’s home in Nottingham in June.

Eight men in three vans took 180 hours over six weeks to remove the items. And 18 members of staff at Lincoln-based Unique Auctions spent four weeks unwrapping the packages.

The collection was sold in 2,021 lots over four days. Auctioneer Terry ­Woodcock said: “We had interest from all over the world. There was a lot of interest in the space lots, especially from Russia.”

When the items were first catalogued their value was estimated at between £1m and £4m.

But the sheer amount of stock meant they were sold in large groups of lots, reducing the value but ensuring more were sold.