Boy creates record collecting coins, notes and stamps

Sanskar Jain Bedmutha from Manmad is like any other young boy studying in class X. What makes him different from others his age, however, is his collection of currency notes, coins and stamps.

In the three years that Sanskar started his collection, he has amassed 1,678 coins of 286 different countries, 533 notes of 182 countries and 10,136 stamps of 161 countries. His efforts have even been acknowledged by the Golden Book of World Records, Online World Records. Sanskar has also displayed his collection at an exhibition organised by the Numismatic Society of Maharashtra, held in Pune in May 2015.

It all started when Sanskar had gone to Aurangabad to attend a lifestyle coaching programme in 2013. "The programme ended on January 26 and I was at a restaurant having lunch with my parents when I saw some foreigners across the table. During the programme, the friends I made had told me that some of them were collecting stamps and coins. I was fascinated by the idea and when I saw the foreigners, I thought about whether I, too, could collect some foreign coins," Sanskar recollects.

Having asked his parents for permission, he approached the foreigners, who were Polish citizens. Hearing his request, they gave him some Polish coins to encourage the child. Sanskar's father offered to buy the coins, but the foreigners refused and gave them to Sanskar as a gift.

"The Polish coins were the first in my collection. I was then motivated to collect more. In the process, I acquired some notes and thus my collection of notes began," he says.

In fact, so motivated was Sanskar about his collection that he would not let go of any opportunity to add to it. A point even came when his father, who had supported him earlier, took away his collection as Sanskar started getting lower grades in school. "I then realised that I had to focus on studies as well. If I had to continue my collection, I had to study hard and I assured my parents that I would. During the same time, I was also told by our Guruji that I could do both, and he gifted me a coin from the period of Shivaji Maharaj. I proved that I could do well in my studies and my father began to support me again," Sanskar says.

He adds that he was even selected by his school for a tour of the NASA headquarters in the US and he completed the Astronaut Training Experience at The Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on November 1, 2015.

Sanskar's stamp collection also happened thanks to a stroke of luck. He had gone to Mumbai for an exhibition. There, he met an elderly person who asked Sanskar if he would give him his collected notes for Rs1,000.

Sanskar refused. "That uncle then raised his offer to Rs5,000. My father asked me if I wanted to give my notes, but I still refused — I was not ready to part with them at any cost. That uncle then opened his bag and took out a collection of stamps and handed it over to me," Sanskar says. The man — whose name was Dhirubhai — told Sanskar that he had collected the stamps as a hobby but had no one to hand over the collection to, and was searching for someone who could take care of it. Convinced that the young boy was the right person, he handed over his collection to him. Sanskar then added his own stamps to that collection and, today, he has 10,136 stamps from 161 countries.

Sanskar's younger sister also helps him add to his collection. He shares credit with her, saying that once, while waiting for a train at a station when travelling back from Jodhpur, they saw a large group of foreigners. The brother-sister duo did not waste any time and went up to each of them, explained their their purpose and collected 85 coins.

So what has his collection given him? "Recognition, happiness, persistence and a sense of responsibility," Sanskar signs off.