The museum started almost 30 years ago as an offshoot to his collection of bottles, tins and enamel signs.

Mr Arnold said the grocery store museum, which has been at its High Street location for 15 years, had been sold to a Melbourne man who planned to use it as an attraction for school groups.

”It will be relocated to Melbourne in the near future, but I could still be babysitting it for the rest of the year. It’s still open for now,” he said.

Mr Arnold built up the museum collection to include more than 1000 pre-1960 Australian tins, dating back to as early as 1897.

The collection also includes pre-1940 Bendigo Pottery items, teddy bears and household items.

Mr Arnold has also written history and reference books.

Despite the sale of the museum, Mr Arnold said he would still have a link to its history with the new owner deciding to call it the Ken Arnold Collection.

”He wanted to do that for me,” Mr Arnold said.

“It wasn’t my idea, he insisted on it.”

The museum, along with Bendigo Pottery, will feature on the ABC series The Collectors at 6.30pm on Sunday as part of a show featuring Bendigo.