年轻收藏家：维托·文森特·加西亚和他对货币的迷恋

对于一些人来说，硬币只是一种货币——一种可以交换、花费但经常被遗忘的东西。但对于收藏家来说，同一枚硬币的价值远高于其表面所暗示的价值

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.

来自宿务的维托·文森特·加西亚 (Vito Vicente Garcia) 年仅九岁，就已经对收集与他的年龄不相符的硬币和纸币产生了热情。对他来说，这些不仅仅是货币，它们是微型时间胶囊，每个胶囊都承载着塑造它们的人物、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 多枚硬币和纸币，他对这样的想法非常着迷：这些物品有一天会成为别人收藏的一部分，承载着他们那个时代的故事，等待着后人重新发现和欣赏。

"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."

“我认为这些硬币和纸币将来会被其他人收集，这很酷，”他说。 “他们将能够通过这些作品了解我们这个时代的历史。”

Start of collecting

开始收集

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.

维托（Vito）进入收藏世界的旅程始于他两岁时，他的蒂塔（Tita）给了他一张两美元的钞票。

"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.

“我不太记得小时候收到它的感觉，但随着我长大，我会更多地了解这个爱好，”他说。

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

八岁时，一张钞票激发了维托的兴趣，他对收藏的热爱真正绽放。

"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·克里斯蒂安给了我一个越南盾，”他回忆道。 “我厌倦了看到普通的菲律宾货币，想探索其他我以前从未见过的货币。”

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

这张纸币成为他不断增长的收藏的基石，激励他更深入地探索外国货币的迷人世界。

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.

最初只是出于好奇，后来发展成为来自世界各地的各种各样的硬币和纸币，使维托成为宿务乃至整个国家最年轻的收藏家之一。当大多数同龄的孩子忙于玩具或电子游戏时，维托却全神贯注于对稀有且独特的货币的追求。

World of currency

货币世界

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.

维托的收藏绝非寻常。他精心整理了四张专辑，里面装满了账单和一些特殊的作品，这些作品由于大小而分开保存。

"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."

“我有两个钱包用来存放硬币，还有四本彩色相册——绿色、蓝色、粉色，还有一本皮革相册用来存放账单，”他说。 “我什至有一张钞票对于专辑来说太大了，所以我把它放在一边。”

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.

他对增加收藏的热情是不可阻挡的。 “一个月内，我收到了大约 10 到 1015 张新纸币，”维托分享道，显然对他不断扩大的国际货币档案感到兴奋。他最喜欢的部分？看到来自不同国家的设计。

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

“这很酷，因为你可以看到其他地方的钱是什么样子，而且有些设计真的很罕见。”

Rarest, most treasured pieces

最稀有、最珍贵的作品

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!"

在他收藏的无数硬币和钞票中，维托最珍贵的财产是一枚古钱币。 “这枚硬币来自古罗马，”他说道，并对这件文物的历史感到惊叹。 “当我发现它时，我很震惊。我什至不记得我是怎么得到它的！”

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 年发行的美国印第安人头像便士。“上面有一个印第安人头像，而且是 1900 年代之前近四年的硬币，”他解释道。据专门销售黄金和白银等贵金属的在线零售商 JM Bullion 称，在 19 世纪和 20 世纪初期的大部分时间里，印第安人头便士一直是货币兑换不可或缺的一部分。因此，许多收藏家渴望完成这些历史硬币的收藏。

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.

在他的宝藏中，维托有一张 100,000 印尼盾纸币，他记得这是他的第一个主要面额。 “当我得到这个的时候，我非常惊讶，”他说，他的眼睛里闪烁着兴奋的光芒。然后，他又找到了一张更大的土耳其纸币，价值50万。 “现在这是我文件夹中最大的金额了！”他说。

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.

每枚硬币或纸币背后的故事都是最让他着迷的地方——无论是来自菲律宾、标志着美国人到来的纪念币，还是二战时期在大规模焚烧中幸存下来的比索钞票。

"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，他们在战争期间烧毁了很多这样的钞票，但这张钞票幸存了下来，”维托满怀敬畏地提到这张烧焦的钞票。

More than a hobby

不仅仅是一种爱好

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.

维托不只是收集金钱，他还以同样的热情喜欢收集《海贼王》纪念品。 “我的‘海贼王’收藏对我来说和我的金钱收藏一样有价值，”他微笑着说，这表明对他来说，收藏是关于个人意义而不仅仅是货币价值。

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!"

事实上，维托最喜欢的童年记忆与他的收藏完美地交织在一起。 “有一次，我掉了一颗牙齿，把它放在枕头底下，”他回忆道，眼里闪烁着笑意。 “第二天早上，我醒来发现牙仙子给我一张一美元的钞票！”

His collection not only holds historical

他的收藏不仅具有历史意义