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An Engineer with a Passion for
World’s Rare Currencies, Coins

AL AIN - He is an engineer by profession but his passion lies in collecting coins and currencies. Fifty-five-year old Indian engineer, Jacob Mathai, popularly known as ‘Sunny’ among his friends, has collected 333 banknotes, including many rare ones.

The oldest currency among his collection is a spade coin from China that was issued in 14 AD during the Wang Mang dynasty.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Mathai said he started to collect coins way back in 1963 along with postal stamps.

It was in 1969 that he started with the collection of rare and old bank notes.

Mathai has been living in Al Ain City since 2002 and works as a production engineer at Nael Cement Product Company in Al Ain.

Among Mathai’s albums of banknotes, there are rare ones printed with pure gold and silver and, on bamboo sticks, polymer, silk, cloth and paper.

“The ones printed in pure gold are from Antiquing and Bermuda in 1980, the banknote that has been printed on bamboo sticks is from China,” he added.

Mathai said that the banknote printed in cloth is from the Turkmenistan Islamic Republic and was printed in the Hijri year 1352.

The denomination of the silk banknote, which is from Russia, is 1,000 roubles. He said that among the most rare banknotes in his collection are the African slave first issue and the currencies in corrugated edge, square format, vertical format, the fractional denominated and the ‘hell’ banknote.

“I have left the rare coins I own in my house in Kerala in India,” he said.

Mathai said his friends from abroad provide him with the old currencies.

“I have friends in Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Thailand, USA, Canada, Australia, Egypt, Kuwait, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Palestine and Jordan,” he said.

He has visited countries like Palestine, Jordan, Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Italy, Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman, Bhutan, the UAE, and Nepal to help increase his collection for the past 40 years.

“I have read that the numismatic Israel gruber has 215 banknotes and has got into the Guinness Record book. I have collected 333 banknotes,” he said.

“My aim is to open a numismatics mini museum and library for students,” he said.

lanamahdi@khaleejtimes.com

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