The Arab collector…a decade of excellence and creativity

In March 2016, a simple idea was born in the minds of two specialized hobbyists from the Arab communities in Australia: to have for the Arab hobbyist a reliable source of knowledge, an accredited scientific reference, and a platform that brings together his scattered interests, from rare coins to stamps that tell history.

Today, after ten eventful years, in our twenty-third issue we celebrate an exceptional journey during which a small digital magazine has transformed into a well-established cultural and academic system and has become an indispensable reference for thousands of enthusiasts and researchers in the Arab world and beyond. .

The story and the birth

The story of Al-Muqtani Al-Arabi doesn't begin with the publication of its first issue, but rather dates back several months to when the idea began to take shape and discussions swirled around it quietly. Even before its official launch, Mazen Mira and Muhib Rizqallah had started frequently sharing information within specialized social media groups, in a world where digital forums were gradually declining and disappearing, leaving a significant knowledge gap. What was striking was that these posts weren't just ordinary posts—their followers unanimously agreed that they were well-documented and of genuine scientific value.
This continued until a genuine friendship developed between the two men, a result of their shared residence in Australia. Their online posts evolved into scholarly discussions over the phone and in person, addressing the need for something different—something to organize this vast amount of information and give it the credibility it deserved.

In March 2016, the pivotal moment arrived. Mazen contacted Moheb, carrying a phrase he hasn't forgotten to this day, borrowed from the Greek scientist Archimedes: "Eureka! Eureka!" The idea was to create an online journal that would gather these scattered fragments of information in one place, making them more credible for enthusiasts and researchers alike. Moheb didn't hesitate for a moment to support the idea; on the contrary, he showed great enthusiasm and interest in a project that was, at the time, quite unconventional. The two announced to a group of friends their decision to establish the first Arabic journal specializing in the field of collectibles.

The story behind the name and logo

The initial proposed name for the magazine was "Coins and Stamps"—a straightforward and descriptive name reflecting the intended content. The cover of the first issue was designed based on the planned topics, foremost among them a photograph of a 10-millime coin belonging to King Farouk, owned by a friend, the engineer Walid Montasser, for the topic of serrated (serrated) coins in the Arab world. However, shortly before launch, the founders opted for a broader and more meaningful name, settling on "«Arab collector»—a name that embodies the collective identity of every Arab collector who acquires, preserves, and documents, regardless of the type of items he owns.”.

Even the magazine's logo went through more than one stage before reaching its current form, as the team insisted on choosing a name and logo that carried the ambition to take the boundaries of Arab collections to the global stage from day one.

Initial launch

The first issue was published in May 2016, containing 23 pages and 9 specialized articles under the title "The Arab Collector." This was the beginning of a journey that no one could have imagined would reach where it is today in just one decade.

The launch of the magazine was announced via social media pages, primarily Facebook, and through the «Arab Coins and Stamps» forum, which at the time represented the closest digital environment to the Arab collectors’ community — reflecting the founders’ awareness of the importance of launching from where the audience is, not from where it is supposed to be.

During those early years, the Arab Collector became a home and refuge for many researchers and readers from all over the Arab world and Arab communities abroad — and it went through, as does every entrepreneurial project, stages of success and stages of challenge, and each stage taught it and added to it.

Identity and Message

The Arab Collector's primary aim is to disseminate specialized scientific knowledge and awareness in the fields of numismatics, philately, banknotes, medals, and historical documentation—primarily in Arabic, while also making some materials available in English to serve researchers and interested parties internationally. It also supports the efforts of researchers and specialized clubs in the Arab world dedicated to collecting rare items.
The platform is managed from Australia, and this geographical distance from the centers of the Arab world has never been an obstacle. Rather, it has been a window to the world and a bridge between Arab communities in the diaspora and enthusiasts in their homelands. The journal has been published in digital format (PDF) since its inception, on an irregular basis. This is a deliberate decision that enhances accessibility, reduces reliance on paper, and makes the journal available to every enthusiast or researcher, regardless of their location worldwide.

International recognition — International Standard Number and global archiving

What distinguishes the Arab Collector from many similar Arab initiatives is its early commitment to international institutional recognition—no easy feat. The distinguished member, Mr. Michel Bakni, was instrumental in bringing this step to light, offering the necessary guidance and highlighting its strategic importance to the journal. As a result, the journal was registered with an international ISSN number. 2652-9009 In the ISSN database — the International Standard Serial Number that places it among the officially recognized scientific journals worldwide.

Furthermore, the journal's issues are preserved in the National Library of Australia's International Digital Archive—a rare official recognition for a specialized Arabic digital publication. They are also archived on the Internet Archive (archive.org) to ensure their preservation for future generations, and their issues have been discussed in Numista's international forums and included in its database, which is used by millions of enthusiasts worldwide. The journal has also made some issues available on the Academia.edu research platform, making them accessible to academics and researchers at universities.
This institutional path was not a coincidence, but rather a clear strategic vision from the beginning: The Arab Collector does not only address Arab enthusiasts, but also addresses the global community of coins, postage stamps, and collectibles.

Partnerships — from the Atlantic to the Gulf and from Cairo to New York

Perhaps the most prominent evidence of the status of the Arab collector is his diverse network of partnerships that brings together major local and international institutions.
On the international level:

The American Numismatic Association (ANA), the world’s largest non-profit amateur organization since 1891, with which researcher Moheb Rizkallah delivered a historic lecture on coin valuation — for the first time in Arabic — at the largest global numismatic body in the United States, an achievement that is unprecedented in the history of Arabic numismatic research.
NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), one of the world’s largest and most established coin grading and certification companies, has graded more than 60 million coins since its founding in 1987.
The Professional Currency Grading Company (PCGS), another international partner in the field of currency documentation and grading.
Numista, the global platform for currency catalogs.

The global encyclopedia Wikipedia.

On the Arab level — to name but a few:
The Egyptian Pioneers Philatelic Club, the Egyptian Philatelic Society, the Amman Philatelic and Numismatic Center, the Palestinian Numismatic and Philatelic Association, the Lebanese Philatelic and Numismatic Club, the Qatar Philatelic Club, and the Comprehensive Guide to Syrian Currency Blog.

These partnerships embody the vision of the Arab collector: that Arab collector heritage belongs to everyone and is a shared responsibility, and that the Arab collector deserves to be part of the global collector system, not a marginal figure on its fringes.

The evolutionary journey — from magazine to system

The Arab collector did not limit himself to the role of a periodical publisher. Over the course of a decade, he gradually transformed into a comprehensive digital system comprising six specialized arms:
1. Al-Muqtani Al-Arabi Magazine — The original core publication that has been issued since 2016 and covers stamps, coins, banknotes, medals and Arab postal history.

2. Research chains — which are in fact a distinct type of partnership between an Arab collector and researchers specializing in specific branches of the hobby:
The Egyptian Encyclopedia of Banknotes — by Engineer Mahmoud Shaaban Abu Arslan, reached nine documented parts.
A Guide to Egyptian Coins — by Mr. Hatem Gendy.
Prefix Report — Strategic partnership with Mr. Mohamed Wali.
Local and private mail in Morocco 1891–1911 — by Professor Radwan Sridi, in seven parts and more.

Numislamics | Numislamics – with Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Yousef for research on Islamic numismatics
3. The Digital Library — Established in 2020 via library.arabcollector.com, it includes thousands of sources and historical documents specializing in collections and history, and is under continuous development.
4. The Arab Collector Academy — the educational arm with lectures and courses presented by specialists, including Dr. Al-Mu’taz Billah Al-Shahawi.
5. The Little Collector's Lab (March 2026) — The first integrated Arabic interactive portal for emerging generations, connecting the child to his heritage in a fun and innovative way.
6. ACADIA Initiative (April 2026) — Arab Collector Academic & Distribution Initiative, the global academic distribution of books and publications in the collectors’ collection, is the boldest step in the platform’s history.
6. ACADIA Initiative (April 2026) — Global academic distribution of books and collectibles.

Stations in a contract

conclusion

Ten years have passed since that moment when Mazen said to Moheb, «I found it,» and today the Arab collector carries his international ISSN number, resides on the shelves of the National Library of Australia, shares the space with NGC, ANA, PCGS and Numista, and his research is translated into a real global academic presence.
The Arab collector did not change his name from «Coins and Stamps» to his current name by mere chance — it was an early and silent declaration of an ambition greater than description, an ambition that every Arab collector wants to find himself in, whether he is collecting fringed Farouk pieces, Palestinian stamps, or the first Syrian lira banknotes.
In its twenty-third issue, as it opens its second decade, the Arab Collector remains what it has always been: a serious scientific voice that believes that every artifact carries a priceless story, and that preserving these stories and passing them on to future generations is a cultural and civilizational responsibility that cannot wait.

The Arab collector will continue his journey, preserving his mission of documenting collections in all their cultural diversity and conveying their stories, so that he may remain a knowledge bridge connecting enthusiasts and researchers across the Arab world and beyond.

The Arab Collector Team extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to all the enthusiasts, researchers, and writers who contributed their moral support and valuable contributions to the magazine's journey and were an essential part of the magazine's success and continuity.