A record-holding passion

US Mehra has 14,250 coins, 5700 currency notes and 25,000 stamps in his collection - some of them rarest of the rare. Little wonder then he is also a record-holder in collecting stamps, coins and currency notes.
A resident of IP extension, he says, "Since childhood, I was very fond of collecting coins. I simply love different kinds of coins of different countries."

Rarest of rare
Mehra's name has been registered in Limca Book of World Records in 2009- 2010 and in 2010- 2011 for his feat. He has currency notes of Rs 10 and Rs 1000 denominations issued in 1954. He has stamps of princely states of India and polymer notes of all denominations from different countries. Stamps from more than 30 states are also in his collection.

Chain reaction
"It was like a chain reaction. One day, when I used to live in Moradabad, I got some old coins from a small shop in the area. Then I wanted to get more such coins and then stamps and paper notes. As time passed by, from just a hobby collecting all these became a passion for me," he said.

Travelled to various countries
Mehra was in army as an LDC and served for a short period of time. In 1974, he left the army due to some problem. "I travelled to various countries and different parts of the world to get coins and stamps. I have coins of brass, metal, silver used several decades ago or are used now," Mehra added.
Mehra is also a member of the International Bank Note Society and is closely associated with the postal department to get updates and rare stamps of different types. He is also associated with the Delhi Coins Society. "I am associated with the Delhi Coins society for a very long time. I am proud to be a member of the same and try and contribute as much as I can there and also have gained a lot from them," Mehra added.

Devoted his life
Seeing his collection, it seems Mehra has devoted his life for his passion. "Whenever I get a coin, I put my best in taking out the history of the coin. I have got several books from all around the world to do a research on all the coins that I get from around the world. These books are not available in the market. Maintaining a collection like this is not easy," he added.
His wife Pawan Mehra said, "He is crazy about coins, stamps and paper notes. He can go miles to get a rare coin. I always support him in this passion."

Member of many societies
Mehra is also a member of the International Bank Note Society and is closely associated with the postal department to get updates and rare stamps of different types. He is also associated with the Delhi Coins Society. "I am associated with the Delhi Coins society for a very long time. I am proud to be a member of the same and try and contribute as much as I can there and also have gained a lot from them," Mehra added.

--Priyanka Narula