David Limburg, a contributor to Gutted, the Twofour series for Home which challenges our obsession with possessions, is set to auction his highly-prized piece of coal from the Titanic at the Stafford Showground this Sunday 6th December 2009.

David is a lifelong collector whose passion for memorabilia is taking over his life.  Gutted, the brand new series for TV channel Home offers some shock treatment to horrendous hoarders like David.  Presented by Mark Durden-Smith the series strips bare the houses of ten collectors. Then, if they answer questions about their missing possessions incorrectly, the items are put up for auction.   Finally, at the end of the auction day they are presented with a dilemma - keep all the money raised, or get everything they own back.

The auction for David’s possessions, which includes a vast collection of Thunderbirds, Batman, Star Trek, James Bond and Superman collectable toys (all in their original packaging) takes place this Sunday at a Toy Collectors’ Fair at the Stafford Showground.   But the most important lot will be his piece of coal from the Titanic. 

David bought the coal lump in 2002 and the question is, since then, has the demand for Titanic artefacts gone up or down?

David said:  “I didn't quite know what to expect from the television show but when the producer uttered the words: "But think, if you had all the money instead of all these items, imagine what you could do or buy!" it sounded familiar to what had been said by those close to me and I decided it was time to stop, or at least, slow down on my collecting...

“I have such a vast amount of rare and unusual items that I could probably buy a large house if they all sold.  Ironically, the Gutted team was shocked and amazed at how much I had, but they've only scratched the surface, a bit like the Titanic when it hit that iceberg.

“The Titanic coal has been at home and often looked at but never really on display, so it has not been thoroughly enjoyed.  Although I would like to keep it as it’s so unusual, dare I say unique (well limited in numbers) I feel it is time for it to move on and be appreciated by someone else.  It is incredible though to know that I own something that actually came from the Titanic and its journey to get to me, I can say I really have connected with piece of history that not many others have!”

The auction

Date: Sunday 6th December

Auction House: Stafford Showground, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD

Viewing Time: The fair is open between 10:30am and 3:30pm
 
Gutted Series 2 is a 10 part series produced by Twofour for Home.  It is going out on weeknights at 9pm on Home from Monday 11th January.

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