We have all heard of people with a penchant for collecting art, coins or stamps, but have you heard of a hobby that involves collecting stocks? Gurgaon-based Bhim Jain, 55, an exporter of handmade items, acquired that rare hobby a few years ago in the midst of a pandemic-induced global lockdown, though he was contemplating about it for years. “I first started investing in 2006, but after the 2008 market crash, I was unable to sustain it at the time,” says Jain. This time, however, there is no looking back, and in the past couple of years, through the market ups and downs, Jain has collected 2,040-odd stocks. “This is fun, refreshing, and a good warm-up before doing my regular work,” he says. What Jain calls a hobby is perhaps an offshoot of scripophily, which refers to the collection of old and rare stocks and bonds certificates, often considered highly valuable from a historical perspective. Rarest of The Rare Before the digital era, companies used to issue stocks and bonds in physical format. Scripophilists value these either for their historical...