"I restarted coin collecting about four years ago. In fact, I've been interested in historical coins since I was a child," says Moraillon, 39, a French national based in Singapore.

During a recent business trip to Thailand, Moraillon made a presentation on how an organisation's performance can be increased via "enterprise performance management", or business intelligence solutions. The theme is to unlock the power of information to improve the performance of organisations.

In Thailand, Business Objects has five leading banks as clients, whose business issues are that they do not have timely and accurate analysis reports to help the management make critical decisions or to detect fraud cases, as well as data-quality issues.

Before he joined Business Objects, Moraillon spent 15 years helping organisations in the Asia-Pacific region to develop their customer-intelligence strategies to boost revenue, while residing in Singapore. His focus and expertise helped clients identify and understand ways to define who their best customers are, how to retain them and attract similar ones and, more importantly, how to improve profitability.

Moraillon first studied biology in college but found that a job in this field did not suit him. "In fact, I liked to interact with other people, so I went to the UK for business studies," says Moraillon, who holds a master's degree in international marketing from the University of Strathclyde and a bachelor's degree in business studies from the University of Buckingham.

On coin collecting as an investment, Moraillon says his interest now covers Morgan dollars (1877-1921), Tibetan silver coins (1951), medieval and 19th-century French gold coins, Russian coins and ancient Greek coins.

"Old coins reflect the historical, political and religious influences during their times. It's a long-term investment for profit. Besides passion, you need to have good knowledge about these coins. My interest is mainly in certified coins as there are also many fakes or counterfeited ones in the market," he says.

His collection now includes coins valued from just $100 to $3,000 apiece.

According to Moraillon, getting good returns from coin collecting is quite tricky. He suggests: "Your focus should be on buying fewer coins but at a relatively higher price. Look for the rarest coins you can afford, as these have a higher chance of increasing in value.

"Research is key. Buying and selling coins does follow the economic law of supply and demand and it is not a perfect market. The person who knows more will have a higher chance to sell at a premium price. The prices of coins have gone through ups and downs and the frenzy of the 1980s created prices that have rarely been seen since. With some research and trusted suppliers, you can build a collection that will increase in value over time," he says, adding that rarity and age are the crucial factors.

For beginners, he emphasises that both education and passion are prerequisites.

"If you have interest in a particular historical period or geographical location, leverage that knowledge and extend it to building the best coin collection you can afford. I would recommend, at a minimum, joining the American Numismatist Society (www.money.org) which, despite its obvious bias, will get you to speed up your investment by helping you narrow your focus."

Moraillon also suggests that interested persons join eBay, which provides lots of information on coin collection and investment, helps potential investors compare prices, find trusted suppliers, buy the coins and re-sell them afterwards.

Beginners should also read "How to Make Money in Coins Right Now" by Scott A Travers; "Investing in Rare Coins: A Guide to Profitable Rare Coin Investments" by Dennis E Steinmetz; "Coin Investment for Profit" by Thomas P Terry, and "Ancient Coin Collecting" by Wayne G Sayles.

"Becoming a collector and investor in coins is not for everyone," Moraillon says. "First, you have to be really interested in history to become a collector and, second, you need to think like an investor and avoid the pitfalls created by emotional investment" - such as not selling a coin you like even if you are being offered a good price.

"Let's face it, if you are looking at investing only, you could end up with a lot of money locked into assets that are not always liquid. If you do not mind keeping the coins you have for a long period of time, then combining a personal interest with an investment could bring rewards beyond your expectations," he says.

Nophakhun Limsamarnphun

nop1122@yahoo.com