70-year-old Mombasa based man Asgharali Kassam is making headlines for his hobby turned world record, that he has decided to share with the world.
In an interview with CGTN Africa on Wednesday, October 18, Kassam disclosed that he believed he was the biggest stamp collector in the world.
According to him, his record of collecting more than 3 million poster stamps stood unbeaten.
Additionally, he showed off his collection of stamps from various regions in the world including some of the World’s first postage stamps printed in the United Kingdom in 1840 like the ‘One penny’ stamp.
“I want to show to the world that this is my interest and I love it. The only thing I am expecting is appreciation, nothing else,” he stated.
Although there is no official record of who is the biggest stamp collector in the world, no one is yet to claim the title Kassam is eyeing.
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How Much is the Collection Worth
According to Kassam, his stamp collection is worth between Ksh14.6 billion (£80 million) and Ksh16.4 billion (£90 million).
However, he noted that his intention was not to sell the stamps and would rather donate them to a museum than put them up for sale.
“I have received many offers from Qatar, Dubai and other countries to sell these stamps, but I don’t want to because I have given my blood to this. It is better to donate to a museum.
“Money is not important, the beauty of it is for people to know the history of stamps,” he explained.
How Kassam Started his Hobby in Mombasa
Moreover, Kassam narrated that he picked up the hobby while studying in primary school in Mombasa.
According to him, stamp collection is something he saw his father do and he immediately developed an interest in the activity.
“It was a hobby I picked up since primary school when I was in Mombasa and like everyone it was something I did in my free time.
“I chose stamps because my father was also interested in it, and I have continued until today,” he added.
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Notably, Kassam revealed that he has been collecting stamps for more than 53 years.
He stated that he holds in his possession more than 15,000 Chinese stamps printed over many years.
Furthermore, Kassam said he was able to get the stamps by travelling while others were donations to him by families of deceased stamp collectors.
“In the Chinese stamps category, I have old ones printed in the 1800s, 1890s, 1870s, 1900s.
I was able to acquire them by travelling. There were also other collectors before me who passed away and left the stamps for their children. People tell them that if they want to get rid of them, they give them to me,” Kassim stated.
Why Stamps Collection
Kassam explained that his love for stamps grew because it enabled him to experience diverse cultures through the sticky papers.
“The good thing about stamps is that you can see the culture of a particular country, the heritage of that country, the minerals and mines, everything is in the stamps.
“Stamps can teach you which countries are advanced, a country’s environment and many more,” he added.
