Showcase of Hard Rock collectibles

 

Seven years ago in July 2019, I had the privilege to experience the first showcase of Hard Rock pins at an exciting event hosted by the Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast.

 

Hard Rock collectors showing off what they
received from the final round of Blind Trading

This August, I was back at the Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast again to enjoy a showcase of Malaysia’s largest Hard Rock Collectibles, an event for collectors to connect and trade, and for fans to explore and enjoy.

 

This time, the showcase not only featured pin collections but a wide range of Hard Rock collectibles like land-yards, soft toys, shot glasses, bottle-openers, fridge magnets, drum-sticks, tankards and T-shirts, among other rare Hard Rock souvenirs from Hard Rock hotel, casino and café destinations the world over.

 

While the inaugural event was held in the Constant Grind with 10 collectors, this year’s event of a record-breaking 12,898 collectibles displayed by 21 collectors, just required a larger space. So the event was held in Sessions, also located on Level One of the Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast.

 

Hard Rock pins displayed on
Raffique Hashim's black jacket

It was my pleasure to join fans and the collectors’ community from Malaysia, Singapore and Japan, to check out the wide range of Hard Rock memorabilia and chat with some of the collectors for stories on their passion for Hard Rock and their journey in collecting.

 

While the majority were male collectors, there were four lady collectors who were equally keen about Hard Rock collectibles. They were, Satomi from Japan, Noor Asmah Mohd Nawawi from Ipoh, Grace Chiam from Penang and Nanny Van Berlo from Kuala Lumpur.

 

As I met with the avid collectors, I discovered that many were with family members and that their families bonded from a shared passion for Hard Rock collectibles.

 

Seated close to Nanny Van Berlo was a giant soft toy teddy bear from Hard Rock Kuala Lumpur which she said, has a place of honour in her study room at home. Back home, her vast collection of cuddly small teddy bears on display – a total of 97 – were carefully stored within glass cabinets.

 

Nanny Van Berlo with her sons,
Raffique [Left] and Tarquin [Right]

Her enthusiasm for Hard Rock collectibles must have rubbed off on her two sons, Raffique Hashim and Tarquin Hashim, who each have their own range of Hard Rock collectibles on display. In addition to a large collection on display in the showcase, Raffique was wearing some 180 pins, proudly pinned on his Hard Rock black jacket.

 

His brother Tarquin, fondly called Mr T, shared that his interest in collecting was ignited when he observed how his brother negotiated while trading a Hard Rock collectible.

 

Himself a drummer, Mr T showed me his large collection of Hard Rock drumsticks and said that the first set of drumsticks he acquired was from Hard Rock Honolulu, followed by the next set from Hard Rock Hollywood.

 

Among his favourites in his collection of Hard Rock pins must be the series that featured drumkits, big bikes, and skull & bones.

 

A rare set of Hard Rock Monopoly
board game and Hard Rock
Studebaker retro transistor radio

I lingered longer with Mr T because I spotted rare Hard Rock collectibles among his range of Hard Rock memorabilia in a set of Hard Rock Monopoly board game and a Hard Rock Studebaker retro transistor radio that featured AM/FM bands.

 

At the first Hard Rock collectors’ event in 2019, I met with two Johorean collectors and was delighted to meet them again, this time accompanied by their respective families who were equally enthusiastic about their treasure trove of Hard Rock collectibles.

 

While Durai Rajah Naghaya was with his wife, Sarojini, daughters, Kastury and Vhinosha with two of their cousins, Azri Abdullah was with his wife, Alia, and sons, Djibril and Ebrahim.

 

I was particularly impressed by Azri’s collection of Hard Rock pins in the Pink October theme. Since meeting Azri with his family in 2019, his sons have grown into sturdy young men who share a keen interest in collecting Hard Rock memorabilia.

 

Azri Abdullah with his sons,
Djibril [Left] and Ebrahim [Right]
 

Kastury, daughter of Durai Rajah, said that when she was old enough to understand her father’s passion in Hard Rock collectibles, she developed her own interest in the same and continues to support him at collectors’ events such as this.

 

She pointed to a set of Hard Rock pins creatively arranged within a frame among her father’s collection on display and said that it was the first of their many father-daughter projects.

 

Kastury said her father Durai Rajah, who plays the classical guitar, probably received his first Hard Rock collectible in a gift of a Hard Rock pin in the guitar design from a friend who went abroad.

 

Meanwhile, Kelvin Foo from Kuala Lumpur was pleased to showcase his collection of Hard Rock shot glasses. His collection started long before the age of social media and if he was not able to travel to Hard Rock destinations, he could only acquire his collectibles through buying online via the eBay shopping platform.

 

Noor Asmah Mohd Nawawi with
envelope, ready for Blind Trading

He laughed when I asked if his family was as keen as he was on Hard Rock memorabilia but was happy that his wife leaves him to indulge in his own passion.

 

Noor Asmah Mohd Nawawi recalled that the first Hard Rock pin and magnet that sparked off her interest in collecting, were gifts from a friend who presented her with them after her travels to Europe. These items are more precious now because this friend had since passed on.

 

Some 20 years ago, Noor Asmah started trading her items by post and her collection of Hard Rock pins and magnets gradually expanded. In fact, the collection she brought along to this showcase was just a fraction of her whole collection at home.

 

Just as Noor Asmah and I were chatting, we heard an announcement for the Blind Trading happening at the top of the hour and collectors were invited to prepare the item they wished to trade and place it inside an envelope.

 

Collectors holding up their envelopes, all set
to pass them from hand-to-hand in the first
round of the Blind Trading

One of the event highlights for the collectors was an activity dubbed, Blind Trading, held at intervals of one hour throughout the event.

 

I observed that this activity worked pretty much like Passing-the-Parcel, a familiar party game where the parcel – in this instance, the envelopes with the Hard Rock item within – were passed from hand-to-hand around the circle of collectors while the music was playing. When the music stopped, the envelope that ended in their hands will belong to that collector.

 

The final round of the Blind Trading was done differently. All the envelopes were placed on a table while the collectors formed a queue for their turn to pick up the envelope of their choice from the table.

 

Showing off what they got from the
Blind Trading; Kabilarasan Rajan [Left]
 and Mohd Ruzaini AKA Zoroyz [Right]

It was fun to watch for their expressions when each collector opened their envelope to discover what was inside. Some were absolutely thrilled while some were no-so-thrilled by what they got from the Blind Trade.

 

I understand from collectors that they usually bought interesting pins or magnets in duplicates as the extra pieces will go into their collection for trading with other collectors.

 

Conversely, there were some limited-edition pins or magnets that celebrate an official opening or anniversary of Hard Rock hotels, cafes or casinos, which are definite keepsakes that collectors may never part with. Such rare pieces were a pride to own and a pleasure to show-off to fans and fellow collectors at events like this.

 

At the close of the event, the organisers at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast hinted that next year’s edition of a similar showcase will feature more international participants, a limited-edition pin drop and more fan experiences.

Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast is located at Jalan Pantai 3, Desaru Coast, 81930 Bandar Penawar, Johor.  Tel: +607 838 8888

For info on more events and promotions at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, visit website: www.hardrockhoteldesaru.com