If the value of the three paisa coin has appreciated, then I am perhaps responsible for the fortunes of another girl 😀

I loved collecting coins as a kid. I’m not sure when and how it began. Perhaps it was the discovery of a small bag of coins at home, or a few foreign ones left behind by visiting relatives. At first, it was restricted to ten paisa coins and cents – we had an abundant supply of them.
As word spread of my interest in coins, friends and family members, who had been travelling abroad, generously donated currency. I was even given a coin album. It had clear plastic sheets with small pockets to store individual coins. I arranged my coins and added small notes about the country, year, and the symbol and slogans on the coins.

I had big plans! I thought the collection would grow very large. So using my foresight, I made an index of the countries and currencies to manage the treasure.
I even began keeping coins and notes, which were still in use – I was a ten-year old, and I was already investing in currency!

Even as different countries resided within my book, I discovered coins in my own home – one, two, and three paisa coins. I had only one one-paisa coin. But I was more delighted with the three paisa coins. Three was an unusual denomination for a coin, and I took pride in owning two of them!
I spent nothing, and yet owned a lot. My successful collection, soon got to my head. I boasted about the large variety of coins I possessed – far more than I should have. Once, I even took some coins to school, as proof. And that’s when it happened.
A classmate of mine was very impressed with my coins. She asked, in the nicest possible way, ‘Can I take one of these?’
And like a fool, I gave it to her. To this day, I regret that action. I could have traded it for something else – but no! I had to act magnanimous. That’s what happens when you allow ten-year olds to handle so much money!

A few years later, deep within the depths of my eldest aunt’s huge cupboard, I uncovered a gem – the 1 pice coin. It was older than the Indian democracy, and it had a hole in it! Nothing could have been better than that.
I’m sure there are lots of people who collect coins – and would buy old coins like the one with the hole. In old Delhi, I found coin sellers selling such antique coins on the pavement. The realisation, that the coins I had, were all gifted to me, made me feel great. But my coin collecting days were numbered.
The European Union was formed, and I grew up. The album was relegated to the cupboard, and my collection, nothing more than a lost memory.
A chance discovery of some coins in a piggy bank made me pull out my album, and I found that my foresight was rather too great. I had one, two, and five rupee coins and notes stashed up inside – which I could still use today! Time to add the ten rupee coins I suppose 😀
* * *
I had posted some photographs of coins a few weeks back. One of my favourite bloggers, pointed out the scarcity of the three paisa coin… This story was supposed to be a part of that post, but now, is also in response to that comment, and today’s prompt on The Daily Post!
16 replies on “The Rare One”
Hmm…
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Wow! Lovely Story… i was cleverly forced to read this one :p, but i have no regrets :), enjoyed it word by word, i must admit you are growing in confidence as a writer by each post. I am proud of you 🙂
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🙂 he he 🙂 Thank you!
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I collect a few coins from other countries, nothing valuable other than the culture lessons. A couple months passing, my daughter brought over a collection of old American coins that she found in her grandmother’s property. She allowed me to keep two silver half-dollars, a tin penny, and offered to sell an original two-dollar bill with a red stamp. After we discovered that the coins she gave me had a little value to them, I suspected she would regret handing them over. She said she did not, but did mention that she wanted me to will them back to her upon my death. Still thinking about purchasing the red-stamped two-dollar bill from her.
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🙂 hope you have fun collecting coins 🙂 I never really intended selling any of the coins in my collection – it was just for fun
Thanks for stopping by!
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Ah, this post reminds me so much of Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John. 🙂
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🙂 I haven’t read that… I’m assuming that it must be good to be compared with an author like Nicholas Sparks 😀 Thank you for visiting 🙂
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Or you can watch its film adaptation. The main character’s father used to collect coins as a hobby.
You’re welcome! 🙂
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Magnanimity should be doled out judiciously! We have given away our precious LP record collection and regret it to this day. Appreciate the shout out 🙂
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Feels so good to know I’m not alone here! 😀
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[…] Kasturika: For charming and enchanting me: https://kasturika.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/the-rare-one/ […]
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I loved your story, and I like that you shared one of your precious coins with a classmate. That made me smile! 🙂
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🙂 Thank you so much 🙂 I also found your blog interesting… want to read more now 🙂
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I don;t know that I’d ever seen those before – very cool indeed.
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🙂 glad you think so! Thank you for visiting 🙂
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[…] me, whether in person or via WordPress, know that I love collecting things in general – be it coins, rocks, feathers, chocolate boxes… And more often than not, the packaging of a product makes my […]
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