May 8th 2024.
In the next chapter of his life, Nick West, a 65-year-old man from North Somerset, had to make a difficult decision. After 42 years of collecting beer cans, his impressive collection of 10,300 tinnies had grown so large that he needed to build an extension on his home just to accommodate them. However, when Nick and his wife, Deborah, decided to downsize and move to a smaller house in Ledbury, Herefordshire, they were faced with a dilemma. There was simply no room for his beloved beer cans in their new home.
With a heavy heart, Nick made the decision to sell the majority of his collection, keeping only 1,500 cans. But even that proved to be too many when they moved again to a smaller house, leaving Nick with just three cans to cherish. He sold the remaining 1,497 cans to a pair of Italian collectors who were so passionate about their hobby that they traveled all the way from Italy to purchase Nick's prized possessions.
Nick's love for collecting beer cans began at the young age of 16 when he combined his two interests of collecting items and drinking. Over the years, his collection grew to an impressive size, with each can holding a special memory and story for him. It was a difficult and emotional experience for Nick to see his lifetime's work being taken away, but he knew it was time to let go.
The first can he ever collected, a Heineken from 1975, was one of the three that he kept. The other two were a Hull Brewery Nut Brown Ale and a Nick West Ruby Ale which he designed himself to commemorate 40 years of collecting. These cans held sentimental value to Nick and represented his passion and dedication to his hobby.
Nick's wife, Deborah, was the one who sparked his interest in beer can collecting by gifting him a book about it. From that moment on, it became his lifelong passion. However, with the rise in popularity of craft beer in cans, Nick found himself collecting up to 650 cans a year, which became overwhelming. It was no longer feasible for him to keep up with the constant influx of new cans, leading to his decision to stop collecting.
Despite having to part with his beloved collection, Nick is content with his decision and knows that his cans will now be cherished by other collectors around the world. He looks back on his years of collecting with fondness and is grateful for the memories and experiences it brought him. And while he may no longer be collecting, Nick's love for beer cans will always remain.
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