SEREMBAN: What started as a hobby in collecting Coca-Cola brand items has turned into a lifelong passion for Ridzwan Darus, 53.
The father of two from Taman Pancor Jaya here is now beaming with pride over his sizeable collection of mementos related to Coca-Cola, the soft drink brand which has been around for more than a century.
Ridzwan said he started collecting the items for fun as a teenager but fell in love with the hobby 20 years ago.
"I bought most of the items online from fellow collectors, bazaars and individuals nationwide. Sometimes, friends who know that I keep collectibles of that brand would buy them for me. In fact, some were bought overseas,'' he told Bernama.
He now boasts a collection of some 300 items bearing the Coca-Cola name in his house, including bottles, cans, bicycles, picture frames, shoes, T-shirts, hats and telephones.
Realising that some of these products are no longer in production and may be much sought after by collectors, he has provided a special place in his house to display the Coca-Cola mementos.
"Some of the collectibles are worth up to RM500 each. Among the oldest items in my collection is a bottle from 1980. I don't feel it is a waste because it has sentimental value and gives me satisfaction,'' he said.
The native of Bentong, Pahang said his son Mohamad Aidil Fakhri, 21, also picked up the hobby of collecting Coca-Cola items 14 years ago.
Ridzwan cleans his collection every month to keep the items in pristine condition and finds great pleasure in pursuing this activity.
Ridzwan, who is also skilled at repairing antiques, said apart from referring to magazines, he also gets ideas from his wife, Fouziah Mahamad Hamli, 51, on how to arrange the collection.
A private sector employee, Ridzwan believes he has built up an impressive collection as some visitors said his collectibles had brought back their childhood memories.
Other than Coca-Cola items, Ridzwan also collects mementos from Milo and hundreds of old and used articles such as brass iron, crockery, telephones and currencies, which filled available spaces in his house. -- BERNAMA