I’ve spent £150,000 on Monopoly… and I don’t even like playing it!

I’ve spent £150,000 on Monopoly… and I don’t even like playing it! Man, 51, owns 3,000 sets of the property trading board game – and they’ve never even been opened

  • Neil Scallan, 51, has paid out £150,000 for 3,029 different sets of Monopoly
  • The export manager from Crawley, West Sussex, started his collection in 2005
  • His first game was a local edition bought as a souvenir while in New Zealand

It’s a favourite game for many, with the board and pieces kept in a battered box.

But one Monopoly devotee has gone much further by paying £150,000 for 3,029 sets to amass the world’s biggest collection. 

Neil Scallan’s efforts are astonishing – especially as he does not even like playing the board game and never opens those he buys. 

The export manager, 51, of Crawley, West Sussex, started his hobby in 2005 after buying a local edition as a souvenir in New Zealand. 

Export manager Neil Scallan, 51, (pictured), from crawley, West Sussex, has spent £150,000 on 3,029 Monopoly sets to amass the world’s biggest collection

He then bought different editions each time he went away.

‘I can’t even remember the last time I played Monopoly,’ he admitted. ‘I have never opened any of my sets as they then lose 80 per cent of their value.’

With 10,000 editions in the world, there are plenty of options to add to his tally as he checks eBay many times a day. 

Prices range from £30 to £75 although he did pay £400 for Monopoly’s millionth set.

Neil added: ‘In previous years, I’d bring a fridge magnet home to remember the holiday.

With 10,000 editions in the world, there are plenty of options to add to his tally as he checks eBay many times a day (stock image)

With 10,000 editions in the world, there are plenty of options to add to his tally as he checks eBay many times a day (stock image)

‘But in New Zealand, I came across a Monopoly board which has all the towns on so I thought that was a great gift for myself.

‘Then every trip I went on, I’d bring a set back and family members did the same for me.

‘But now – almost two decades later – strangers from all over the world sell me limited editions that I don’t have.’

Neil admits the first thing he does in the morning is check eBay to bag himself a deal.

He continues to browse the internet throughout the day to ensure a set doesn’t get missed.

Neil admits the first thing he does in the morning is check eBay to bag himself a deal. He continues to browse the internet throughout the day to ensure a set doesn't get missed (stock image)

Neil admits the first thing he does in the morning is check eBay to bag himself a deal. He continues to browse the internet throughout the day to ensure a set doesn’t get missed (stock image)

Neil says it is ‘impossible’ to purchase every single set as there is over 10,000 sets in the world, but he is doing his very best and buys one daily.

He said: ‘Collecting is very addictive – I can’t even put a number on how many times a day I look on eBay.

‘I have previously managed to get a limited edition at midnight which would have been sold out by the morning.

‘They can cost anything from £30 to £75.

‘The most expensive board I purchased was the millionth edition which was £400.’