AN ARTIST sold his collection of Monopoly boards for £9,000, using the cash to set up his own business.
Christian Azolan, from Hayes, west London, had been collecting the games since he was 14 and friends and family would bring back rare, international editions from trips abroad.
2
2
The 38-year-old decided to sell his stash of 280 boards after moving back in with his mum, who was undergoing cancer treatment, in 2019.
He told My London: “I realised: ‘I’ve got to get rid of this stuff – I can’t live here with my partner in this room with all these Monopoly boards.
“They just have to go.”
He managed to flog his highest-earning board for £500 – more than 20 times the price he paid for it.
That was a limited edition, factory-sealed Japanese board featuring a TV show called Rayman.
Christian also sold a rare version from Hong Kong, which was produced to commemorate the territory returning to Chinese rule in 1997.
“I had no idea at all of their value,” he said.
“I knew I had a couple in there that were really rare, but I didn’t think to myself: ‘Oh yeah, they’re worth lots of money.'”
Christian, who recently quit his corporate brand manager job to launch Christian Azolan Art, sold most of the boards to special collectors online.
Some went to the Guinness Record Holder for Monopoly boards, Neil Callan, who has more than 3,000 copies of the popular game.
In total, Christian made £9,000, which he used to establish his own business called Christian Azolan Art.
How to spot a valuable Monopoly board
Monopoly was first sold in 1935, and there’s now versions of the game themed around cities, TV shows, films and books.
You can buy an ordinary Monopoly board for just £17.
But special vintage editions of Monopoly games are listed on eBay for as much as £800.
If you think you’ve got a board that could be worth some money, it’s worth searching online to see how much others are selling it for.
As a rule, the older and rarer something is, the more money it will be worth to avid collectors now.
You’re also more likely to get a higher price is the board is in a good condition, and preferably if it’s unsealed and unused.
Other childhood toys that fetch a high price among collectors include Pokemon cards, which have sold for up to £105,000.
There could also be more value than you think rattling around in your loose change, such as these 5p coins that are worth up to £73.
A rare Kew Gardens 50p piece sold on eBay for hundreds of pounds.
Antiques Roadshow expert values woman’s ‘haunted’ jewellery collection made of human hair
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The Sun Money team?
Email us at [email protected]
