Bamboo coin banks bring back memories

ALOR SETAR: Ahmad Saad’s bamboo coin banks is certainly one of the more eye-catching finds at Pasar Karat Kampung Berjaya, near Alor Setar.

The 78-year-old, better known as Pak Long, has been making and selling bamboo coin banks since five years ago.

There is high demand for his craft in the market that is known for antique items.

“It all started after I decided to cut down several groves of bamboo in front of my house. I ended up with 300 stalks.

“I thought that it would be a waste to just dispose of them. So I started making coin banks out of them for fun, and ended up with 20. I managed to sell them all, to my surprise, and people started placing orders for more,” Ahmad told Bernama when met, recently.

Today, the septuagenarian can sell up to 200 units of bamboo coin banks at the market, which opens every Friday from 9am to noon.

“When they are made to order, I could be looking at a sale of between 300 and 1,000 units a week,” he said.

His customers are not just individuals but are sometimes traders and corporate bodies as well.

Ahmad’s fully handmade coin banks are available in sizes ranging from XS to XXXL and are priced between RM3 and RM15.

He sources the bamboo used to make the coin banks from several places around Kodiang.

Ahmad, the sole maker and seller of bamboo coin banks at the market, explained that the selection of bamboo type was crucial to the crafting process.

He only uses the matured stalks of the thorny bamboo variety. This is because they are hardier, does not easily fracture or become susceptible to pests.