12,300 coins, one Honda Activa: Telangana pastor turns three years of spare change into a scooter
For three years, every ten-rupee coin that came his way went into a box. On October 10, 2026, at exactly 10:10:10 am, pastor Joseph turned those small savings into a new Honda Activa, paying for the scooter with 12,300 coins.
Joseph, who serves at a church in Luxettipet in Telangana’s Mancherial district, began saving the coins on October 10, 2023. Whether he was buying vegetables, picking up groceries or paying for a bus journey, he set aside the ten-rupee coins he received as change.
Even bus conductors would hand him the coins, he recalled. Some elderly villagers also gave him coins they had difficulty spending, adding to his growing collection.
Not everyone understood his plan. His family worried that the coins might eventually become difficult to use, given the widespread misconception at the time that ten-rupee coins were no longer valid.
Joseph, however, remained determined. He said he would deposit the money in a bank if people refused to accept the coins.
There were moments when he considered dipping into his savings, but he resisted the temptation.
“I could have taken Rs 1,000 from the savings, but I did not,” he recalled. “I knew I couldn’t put the coins back once I took them out, so I didn’t touch a single one.”
When he finally opened the box, Joseph expected to find around Rs 50,000. Instead, the total came to approximately Rs 1.45 lakh.
The timing was right for a new vehicle. His decade-old scooter had broken down and was no longer running, so the family decided to put the savings towards a replacement.
Ganesh, owner of Jagadamba Honda showroom, said Joseph first visited the outlet about 15 days before the purchase and explained his unusual savings plan.
On the booking day, Joseph paid Rs 10,000 using 1,000 coins. He also specified when he would return to collect the vehicle and requested a number plate from the 10 series.
On October 10, he arrived carrying bags of coins, neatly bundled into packets worth Rs 1,000 each. He paid the remaining Rs 1.13 lakh for a 125-cc Honda Activa using another 11,300 ten-rupee coins.
Nine people spent more than three hours counting the money.
“Even though counting was a risk, we accepted them. No one in Mancherial district had bought a vehicle with coins before,” Ganesh said.
For Joseph, the purchase was a lesson in the value of small, consistent savings.
“We should not dismiss Rs 10 as small. If we save a little, it becomes lakhs of rupees,” he said, recalling that he too had once wondered what a ten-rupee coin could achieve.
Beyond his work as a pastor, Joseph holds a BSc degree and runs the Helping Hand Trust, which distributes blankets and books, organises medical camps and operates tuition centres for children. A few employees contribute financially to support the trust’s activities.
The scooter purchase has not ended his coin-saving habit. Joseph still has around Rs 20,000 in ten-rupee coins and plans to repeat the exercise twice more before combining his savings for a larger purchase, possibly gold or expenses for his daughter’s wedding.
The family that once questioned his decision watched him ride home on a scooter bought with the coins they had worried would be difficult to spend.
“Anything is possible if we have patience,” Joseph said.
