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Kerala floods: Dubai-based Keralite to sell rare currency collection

Dubai - But he has a condition; a small change to make a big difference.

For Keralite expat Ibrahim Thavakal, 42, every loose change can make a difference. A numismatist since he was a teenager at his hometown in Kasargod, Ibrahim has collected almost 100kg of various rare coins, old notes and other precious metals used as currencies in the olden days.

Ibrahim could not put an exact monetary value to his coin collection but he said they are enough to build at least three houses for three needy families in the flood-hit state of Kerala.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on Tuesday at this residence in Naif, Ibrahim said: "I'm willing to sell my collection to any serious coin collector. I will not take any money but my condition is that the buyer should be willing to build at least three houses in Kerala."

Ibrahim said each house could cost around Rs800,000 (Dh42,000) and big enough for a family of five: father, mother and three kids. "The houses will be awarded to a Muslim, Christian and Hindu families," he added.

A Dubai resident for 18 years, Ibrahim's family in Kasargod was spared from the catastrophic floods but he was not left unmoved by the desolation he saw.

"I saw on TV an expat whose house was swept away by the floods in Kerala. I was able to relate to the guy because I'm also a working expat like him. But I could only imagine the harrowing experience he must have felt. In one fell swoop, all his belongings - the money he sent to his family back home - were gone," Ibrahim said.

"He was a working family man like me," added Ibrahim, a father of two, who works as an electrician and maintenance person in Dubai.

"I told myself I should do something and that's why I decided to sell all my coin collection," he added with firm conviction.

Ibrahim got the knack in collecting coins from his grandfather who passed away 25 years ago. He said he started as a hobbyist after his father gave him a rare coin when he was 17 and moved to Dubai when he was 24 back in November 2000.

For Ibrahim, collecting coins is a stress reliever and also of learning about history of various people. "It is about understanding the culture and looking in the past with great affinity," he added.

"As a coin collector, I have been collecting loose change for a very long time but now in my small way, I hope I can make a big difference by helping those in need in Kerala," he concluded.
Rare collection
Ibrahim Thavakal has coins dating back as early as 1315 that were used in Oman to 1820 American coins; 1933 Syrian coins; 1939 Turkey coins and pre-UAE rupeeh coins. 
He proudly showed Khaleej Times several pre-India Independence coins that were used in Kerala. The coins were smaller than shirt buttons and used to be tied in waistbands during the British era, according to Ibrahim.  
"The face value of each (Kerala) coin is actually less than a fil but since it is very rare, it is actually priceless," he explained. 
Ibrahim has amassed a personal collection of coins from almost 175 countries by talking to various expats in the UAE.
He said he has developed an aptitude in identifying to which country a coin belongs even though he could not read what is written in each coin. 
"Whenever I asked someone for a coin I would ask for a copy of his/her passport. Then I took note of the symbols and emblems in the passports and use them as reference to identify the coins," Ibrahim explained.
angel@khaleejtimes.com