Monopoly superfan in Leeds hopes for World Championships return as collection grows to more than 400 boards

There are rare boxes worth hundreds of pounds, gigantic bankers notes in vibrant pastel colours, and timeless wartime editions of the treasured game.

It all belongs to Jason Bunn, 63, a retired taxi driver and the UK’s only Monopoly World Champion.

You might recognise his name from the Leeds edition of the game – it gets a mention on one of the Community Chest cards.

“Get Monopoly tips from World Champion Jason Bunn and collect £10,” it says.

Jason has been playing Monopoly since he was a child and his love of the game has not diminished at all in that time.

As a new Yorkshire Dales themed edition is expected to hit shelves next spring, the superfan has already been asked to sign the first box when it rolls off the production line.

That box is likely become a collectors’ item in itself, by virtue of having the enthusiast’s signature on the front.

“I started playing as a kid like most people, but it really got going when I saw a competition advertised in the Yorkshire Evening Post,” said Jason, from Holmfirth.

“They were looking for people to enter the regional heats and, out of 50 contestants, four finalists were sent to London for the British Championships.

“I was the outright winner, so they sent me to New York to play in the World Championships. That was in 1985, and I won.”

From then on, whenever he saw a unique or interesting version of the game, he would pick it up and place it on a mounting pile back home.

“It’s still growing,” he explained. “We’ve just moved to a smaller house, so I’ve lost my spare bedroom where I kept all of the boards. I’ve got about 20% out at the moment, but the rest is in the loft.

“We’re hoping to get some new shelving in the dining room to bring more down and have a bigger display.”

Jason’s wife, Janet, is equally passionate about the game as a former Yorkshire and Humberside Champion.

It is no wonder, then, that pals are constantly buying the couple unusual boards they pick up on holiday or in charity shops.

Despite the abundant hoard, there are editions that Jason does not fancy having in the collection. He would draw the line at a ‘Love Island’ themed Monopoly, for example.

“I’d probably give that one a miss,” he said. “I’m nearly at the point of saturation with the collection, so I’m a little bit more picky than I used to be. Anything to do with modern popular culture would probably pass me by.

“But I’m interested in the ones I haven’t got already. I’ve got a bit of a thing for Star Wars and have several of those editions, all the way from the first generation to the newer incarnations.

“I’ve got a 75th anniversary Mickey Mouse one, which is quite nice. There’s another special edition one from Disneyland Paris, which I picked up last year. It was so popular that they were limiting numbers, but I just managed to grab one on the last day we were there.”

He continued: “Sometimes there’s a bit of a flurry on eBay when a new one comes out, but the trick is to wait until all the fuss dies down and it gets a bit cheaper.

“I’ve got an X-Men one that was signed by the director Ang Lee. And I had one that was specially made for me after the World Championships, which is worth £700. That’s my most expensive one.”

Jason added: “My favourite is the Leeds edition because of my mention on one of the cards. I still get the odd person coming up to me to tell me they saw it.”

Surprisingly, Jason thinks that the optimum time for a game of Monopoly is 30 minutes. He remembered frequently playing a couple of rounds with mates on his lunch hour when in training for the World Championships.

So, why is it that the money-oriented game is the source of so much family conflict on occasions like Christmas? According to Jason, it’s because people make up their own rules.

He said: “If you play by the proper rules, the game is much quicker and calmer.

“People think that you can’t buy property on your first go round the board, or that there are certain ways to use fine money for free parking, but these things just slow it down.

“Everyone complains that it takes too long to play, but it shouldn’t – and it’s a more interesting game if you stick to the rules as they are laid out. It doesn't need to go on forever.”

On this side of the Atlantic, Monopoly has its roots firmly in the city of Leeds. It was distributed for many years by city-based firm John Waddington, which became involved in the game soon after it was invented in America in the 1930s.

That started with a board being sent over to Leeds, which was played by the son of the Yorkshire company’s boss over an entire weekend. It was not long before he was on the phone to the states to secure the UK rights.

Sadly, the pandemic has largely put paid to Monopoly championships in recent years, with little talk of them resuming. But would Jason consider a return to playing the game at the highest level?

Without hesitation, he confirmed: “I’d love to have another go.”