Bhubaneswar, Jan. 21: Thirteen-year-old Debi Prasad Mangaraj was happy to learn that he was closer to his dream of setting up a children’s coin museum, but less than what he expected to be.

The enthusiast coin collector with his heart set on a Guinness record would have preferred his own state making the same offer to him, especially since he made several attempts to convince the Naveen government to help him out.

But, it was Narendra Modi from the far-flung Gujarat who offered him a plot of land (to be identified by him) to set up the unique museum.

After his attempts to convince his state failed, last year Debi Prasad shot off a letter to the Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, along with copies of reports published in the media that spoke of his requirement for land to set up his dream museum.

The recent reply, issued by J.B. Shah of the revenue department, has asked Debi Prasad to select a plot for the children’s museum.

Debi Prasad would soon be visiting Gujarat to meet Modi.

Family sources said that Modi was “immensely impressed” by the teenager’s passion for collecting coins.

The young numismatist has a collection of 40,000-and-odd coins, as well as notes of some 130 countries and hopes to enter the Guinness record books.

Debi Prasad is a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya No-1.

His collection includes coins from Australia, the UK, France, Japan and the US, along with coins issued by the East India Company in a period between 1800 AD and 1810 AD.

He also owns pennies belonging to the late 18th and early 19th centuries and a Peso from the mid-19th century.

His collection also includes pressed coins of both stone, gold and earth with gods and animals, stated to be over 800 years old.