CHENNAI: Collecting stamps, coins and currencies is a hobby for many around the world but very few pursue it seriously. A resident of Chennai, S Aravamuthan, is an ardent collector. Now, a successful dealer, Aravamuthan was introduced to philately when he was 15. “When I was in school in the 1960s, my history teacher told me that collecting such items can be more than just a hobby and that I can improve my knowledge about the history and geography of the country. This triggered my interest,” he recalls. But little did he know that one day he will convert his hobby to a full fledged business.
At present, the dealer maintains a huge collection of coins apart from currencies and stamps. For better understanding, he has segregated his coins in three different categories — ancient period to the 14th century, the middle period of the Mughals, the Sultans followed by the coins issued by the French India, British India, Portuguese India, Dutch India and finally the Republic of India. Boasting about his collections, he claims “I have coins that date back to the Kushan Empire, Alexander Empire, and various dynasties like Maurya, Maratha, Satavahana, Chola, Chera, Pandya, and Gupta among others. Apart from this, I have exotic coins from all over the world like 3D coins, plastic coins, etc.”
When it comes to currencies and stamps, he claims that his collection includes one currency per nation and stamps as per their themes. “I have currencies of over 200 countries and several stamps that can be categorised into 120 groups like birds, science and technology, aeronautics, Nobel prizes, etc.
It took him around 10 years to own such an exclusive collection. Initially, he used to gather coins from the foreign embassies and later with the imposition of custom duties, he resorted to looking out for dealers within the country. “Those days were tough..writing letters was the only medium. If you could get hold of a single coin a month, it was a great deal,” he reminisces.
With time he became so engrossed with his hobby that he didn’t even hesitate to give up his career as a regional manager (in a medical company) to devote all his time to it. Looking back, he says “I needed money to officially venture into this business, so I took voluntary retirement in 2001 and invested half of the money to start my business. Though my family was skeptical about my decision, I was confident.”
He has also travelled a lot to expand his collection and as well as to improve his knowledge about the artefacts. “Initially, I visited more than 125 exhibitions across the country to make sure that nothing exclusive escaped my attention,” he smiles.
Aravamuthan however, doesn’t solely focus on selling his collection. Rather, he takes this as an opportunity to educate people. “My idea behind opening a stall at exhibitions is to make people aware about genuine materials and guide them,” he says.
Has there been a coin or stamp that fascinated him but he couldn’t get his hands on? “Tibet once issued a currency made of cloth, I wish I had got it but it’s obsolete now. Also the first stamp that was ever issued by England was a semi-black stamp...only around 100 pieces were issued. I wish I had one,” he sighs.
The dealer feels that being a philatelist and numismatist has its own advantages and calls it a ‘money back guarantee hobby’. “If you don’t feel like investing anymore, you can easily resell them for a handsome amount. There is no loss in this business,” he smiles.