年輕收藏家：維托·文森特·加西亞和他對貨幣的迷戀

對某些人來說，硬幣只是一種貨幣——一種可以交換、花費但經常被遺忘的東西。但對收藏家來說，同一枚硬幣的價值遠高於其表面所暗示的價值

At just nine years old, Vito Vicente Garcia from Cebu has already developed a passion for collecting coins and paper bills that belies his age. To him, these aren't just pieces of currency — they're miniature time capsules, each carrying stories of the people, events and cultures that shaped them.

來自宿霧的維托·文森特·加西亞 (Vito Vicente Garcia) 年僅九歲，就已經對收集與他的年齡不相符的硬幣和紙幣產生了熱情。對他來說，這些不僅僅是貨幣——它們是微型時間膠囊，每個膠囊都承載著塑造它們的人物、事件和文化的故事。

With over 40 coins and bills in his collection, Vito is fascinated by the idea that these pieces will one day be part of someone else's collection, carrying with them tales of their era, waiting to be rediscovered and appreciated by those who come after.

Vito 收藏了 40 多枚硬幣和紙幣，他對這樣的想法非常著迷：這些物品有一天會成為別人收藏的一部分，承載著他們那個時代的故事，等待著後人重新發現和欣賞。

"I think it's cool that these coins and bills will be collected by someone else in the future," he said. "They'll be able to learn about the history of our time through these pieces."

「我認為這些硬幣和紙幣將來會被其他人收集，這很酷，」他說。 “他們將能夠透過這些作品了解我們這個時代的歷史。”

Start of collecting

開始收集

Vito's journey into the world of collecting began when he was just two years old, and his Tita gave him a two US dollar bill.

維托（Vito）進入收藏世界的旅程始於他兩歲時，他的蒂塔（Tita）給了他一張兩美元的鈔票。

"I don't really remember the feeling of receiving it since I was so young, but I would later learn more about this hobby as I grew up," he said.

「我不太記得小時候收到它的感覺，但隨著我長大，我會更多地了解這個愛好，」他說。

By the time he was eight, Vito's love for collecting truly blossomed thanks to a banknote that sparked his interest.

八歲時，一張鈔票激發了維託的興趣，他對收藏的熱愛真正綻放。

"My Tito Christian gave me a Vietnamese dong," he recalled. "I was tired of seeing regular Filipino currency and wanted to explore others I had never seen before."

「我的蒂托·克里斯蒂安給了我一個越南盾，」他回憶道。 “我厭倦了看到普通的菲律賓貨幣，想探索其他我以前從未見過的貨幣。”

That note became the cornerstone of his growing collection, inspiring him to dive deeper into the fascinating world of foreign money.

這張紙鈔成為他不斷增長的收藏的基石，激勵他更深入地探索外國貨幣的迷人世界。

What started as a simple curiosity has grown into a vast assortment of coins and banknotes from around the world, making Vito one of the youngest collectors in Cebu — and perhaps the country. While most children his age are busy with toys or video games, Vito is deeply engrossed in his pursuit of rare and unique currency.

最初只是出於好奇，後來發展成為來自世界各地的各種各樣的硬幣和紙幣，使維托成為宿霧乃至整個國家最年輕的收藏家之一。當大多數同齡的孩子忙於玩具或電子遊戲時，維托卻全神貫注於對稀有且獨特的貨幣的追求。

World of currency

貨幣世界

Vito's collection is far from ordinary. Organized meticulously, he owns four albums filled with bills and a few special pieces that are kept separately due to their size.

維託的收藏絕非尋常。他精心整理了四張專輯，裡面裝滿了賬單和一些特殊的作品，這些作品由於大小而分開保存。

"I have two wallets for the coins and four colored albums — green, blue, pink and a leather one for my bills," he said. "I even have one bank note that's too big for the albums, so I keep it aside."

「我有兩個錢包用來存放硬幣，還有四本彩色相簿——綠色、藍色、粉紅色，還有一本皮革相簿用來存放帳單，」他說。 “我甚至有一張鈔票對於專輯來說太大了，所以我把它放在一邊。”

His enthusiasm for growing his collection is unstoppable. "In a month, I get around 10 to 1015 new banknotes," Vito shared, clearly excited about his ever-expanding archive of international currency. His favorite part? Seeing the designs from different countries.

他對增加收藏的熱情是不可阻擋的。 「一個月內，我收到了大約 10 到 1015 張新紙幣，」維托分享道，顯然對他不斷擴大的國際貨幣檔案感到興奮。他最喜歡的部分？看到來自不同國家的設計。

"It's cool because you get to see what money looks like elsewhere, and some designs are really rare."

“這很酷，因為你可以看到其他地方的錢是什麼樣子，而且有些設計真的很罕見。”

Rarest, most treasured pieces

最稀有、最珍貴的作品

Among the countless coins and bills in his collection, Vito's most prized possession is an ancient coin. "This coin is from ancient Rome," he said, marveling at the artifact's history. "When I found it, I was shocked. I didn't even remember how I got it!"

在他收藏的無數硬幣和鈔票中，維托最珍貴的財產是一枚古錢幣。 「這枚硬幣來自古羅馬，」他說道，並對這件文物的歷史感到驚嘆。 「當我發現它時，我很震驚。我什至不記得我是怎麼得到它的！”

Another standout is a US Indian Head penny from 1897. "It has an Indian on it, and it's from almost four years before the 1900s," he explained. According to JM Bullion, an online retailer specializing in precious metals like gold and silver, Indian Head pennies were integral to monetary exchange throughout much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. As a result, many collectors aspire to complete their collections of these historic coins.

另一件引人注目的作品是 1897 年發行的美國印第安人頭像便士。據專門銷售黃金和白銀等貴金屬的線上零售商 JM Bullion 稱，在 19 世紀和 20 世紀初期的大部分時間裡，印第安人頭便士一直是貨幣兌換不可或缺的一部分。因此，許多收藏家渴望完成這些歷史硬幣的收藏。

Among his treasures, Vito has a 100,000 Indonesian banknote, which he remembers as his first major denomination. "I was so amazed when I got this one," he said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Then, he went on to find an even larger Turkish banknote worth 500,000. "Now this is my biggest amount in the folder!" he said.

在他的寶藏中，維託有一張 10 萬印尼盾紙幣，他記得這是他的第一個主要面額。 「當我得到這個的時候，我非常驚訝，」他說，他的眼睛閃爍著興奮的光芒。然後，他又找到了一張更大的土耳其紙幣，價值50萬。 “現在這是我文件夾中最大的金額了！”他說。

The story behind each coin or note is what fascinates him the most — whether it's a commemorative coin from the Philippines, marking the arrival of Americans, or a peso bill from World War II that survived a mass burning.

每枚硬幣或紙幣背後的故事都是最讓他著迷的地方——無論是來自菲律賓、標誌著美國人到來的紀念幣，還是二戰時期在大規模焚燒中倖存的比索鈔票。

"Before it was circulated, they burnt a lot of these bills during the war, but this one survived," Vito said, referring to the scorched bill with awe.

「在它流通之前，他們在戰爭期間燒毀了很多這樣的鈔票，但這張鈔票倖存了下來，」維托滿懷敬畏地提到這張燒焦的鈔票。

More than a hobby

不只是一種愛好

Vito doesn't just collect money, he also enjoys collecting "One Piece" memorabilia with the same passion. "My 'One Piece' collection is just as valuable to me as my money collection," he said with a smile, showing that for him, collecting is about personal meaning rather than just monetary value.

維託不只是收集金錢，他還以同樣的熱情喜歡收集《海賊王》紀念品。 「我的『海賊王』收藏對我來說和我的金錢收藏一樣有價值，」他微笑著說，這表明對他來說，收藏是關於個人意義而不僅僅是貨幣價值。

In fact, Vito's favorite childhood memory is beautifully intertwined with his collection. "One time, I lost a tooth and put it under my pillow," he recalled, laughter sparkling in his eyes. "The next morning, I woke up to find a dollar bill from the tooth fairy!"

事實上，維托最喜歡的童年回憶與他的收藏完美地交織在一起。 「有一次，我掉了一顆牙齒，把它放在枕頭底下，」他回憶道，眼裡閃爍著笑意。 “第二天早上，我醒來發現牙仙子給我一張一美元的鈔票！”

His collection not only holds historical

他的收藏不僅具有歷史意義