To say I was surprised would be putting it mildly. I've visited a fair number of coin and currency exhibits and museums, but I completely flipped over this one in Dubai.

How often do you come across a coin that celebrates one of the most iconic tales from Arabian Nights, of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves? Struck in pure silver, it features the legendary scene where Ali Baba overhears the thieves visiting the secret cave where their treasure is hidden. It's legal tender in Niue, a small island nation in the South Pacific, and one of just 3,000 ever minted.

Then there's a gold coin engraved with none other than Michael Schumacher, commemorating the legendary F1 driver's track triumphs. You'll also find coins featuring beloved characters like Cinderella, Superman and Batman. There's even an adorable one of Winnie the Pooh. All legal tender. There are even coins shaped like keys, axe heads, plates, and rough metal fragments.

The museum in Dubai houses over a tonne of coins - some dating back to 2 BC - from nearly every nation in the world. The museum is also home to rare stamps, pens, precious stones and carpets, but more on that later.

Enter the majestic villa in Dubai's Nad Al Sheba, and you will be stepping into a world of ancient civilisations, bygone countries, and untold stories. All meticulously catalogued in the private collection of one man: Ram Tolani.

A successful businessman, financial expert, author and speaker, Ram's penchant for collecting began in 2008 following a stroke he suffered on the eve of his daughter's wedding. "I was so overjoyed that I guess the massive surge in emotions triggered the stroke," he tells me when we meet in the majlis of his house.

This health scare forced the Dubai-based business magnate to step back from his insurance enterprise.

"Unable to do much work immediately after surgeries and physiotherapy, I felt a deep void in my life," recalls the septuagenarian who thrives on being busy at all times. While recovering and during a conversation with his son Sanjay, he shared his childhood memories, and his love for collecting coins.

Sanjay reignited in his father the childhood passion that would not only aid Ram's rehabilitation but also redefine his legacy. During a visit to his father's ancestral home in India, Sanjay discovered a small tin of coins that Ram had left behind when he had moved to Dubai more than half a century ago. Among them was a coin that dated back to Emperor Akbar's time - Ram's first brush with Mughal grandeur. "There was a certain magic in holding it," Ram recalls. "Even as a child, I knew this was more than metal."

With time now on his side, Ram immersed himself in the world of numismatics, transforming a youthful interest into a profound vocation.

To start with he began participating in auctions with Sanjay, who now manages the insurance business and has expanded it several fold. "One of the first coins Sanjay got for me was from the Perth Mint, which was marking its centenary," Ram recalls. He points to another coin from Australia - a 1kg limited-edition silver coin engraved with a kookaburra, that he also sourced from Down Under.

Singapore provided him with more pieces for his collection when he attended an auction there and acquired a set of Chinese coins in gold and silver, each featuring zodiac symbols.

In just over a year, Ram's dedication saw his collection register ringing with over 250,000 coins and 60,000 currency notes. Among his cherished acquisitions are those that span centuries and continents, featuring coins from the Mughal era, ancient Mohenjo-daro, and colonial currencies from Indonesia and India.

Though his collection is housed privately, its purpose is public. "Anyone can visit this museum," he says. "I particularly like for school children to come and visit so they get to see a slice of history."

The museum is a magnet for collectors, historians, and the merely curious, even as traders estimate his collection to be valued over $50 million. But for Tolani, it's not about the money. "This is not an investment. It's not even a hobby anymore. It's my identity." And what of the future? "I hope this collection lives beyond me," he says. "I hope it continues to teach, to inspire."

To read the complete article, see:
Inside Dubai's hidden memory museum(https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/inside-dubai-s-hidden-memory-museum/ar-AA1DAWz1)