Coins of the Philippine peso

A 1-piso coin, depicting José Rizal.

Philippine peso coins are issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for circulation in the Philippines and are currently available in seven denominations.

History

The United States struck coins for use in the Philippines from 1903 to 1945. Denominations included the ½ centavo, one centavo, five centavo, 10 centavo, 20 centavo, 50 centavo, and one peso. The ½ and 1 centavo coins were struck in bronze, the 5 centavo struck in nickel, the 10, 20, 50 centavo and peso coins were struck in a silver composition. From 1903 to 1906, the silver coins had a higher silver content than those struck after 1906.

The obverse of these coins remained largely unchanged during the years 1903 to 1945. The ½ centavo, one centavo, and five centavo coins depict a Filipino man kneeling against an anvil, with a hammer resting at his side. He is on the left side (foreground), while on the right side (background) there is a simmering volcano, Mt. Mayon, topped with smoke rings. This figure is an allegory for the hard work being done by the native peoples of the Philippines in building their own future.

The obverse of the 10, 20, 50 centavo, and peso coins are similar, but they show the figure of Liberty, a standing female figure (considered by many to be the daughter of the designer 'Blanca') in the act of striking the anvil with a hammer. This was done to show the work being done by Americans in building a better Philippines. Liberty appears on the silver coins, instead of the base metal coins.

The reverse of the coins comes in two varieties. The earliest coins were minted when the islands were a US Territory, and they bear the arms of the US Territories. This is a broad winged eagle, sitting atop a shield divided into two registers. The upper register has 13 stars, and the lower register has 13 vertical stripes. The date appears at the bottom, and "United States of America" appears at the top.

When the islands became a US Commonwealth, the arms of the Commonwealth were adopted. This seal is composed of a much smaller eagle with its wings pointed up, perched over a shield with peaked corners, above a scroll reading "Commonwealth of the Philippines". It is a much busier pattern, and widely considered less attractive.

Coins were minted at the Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, and (after it was opened in 1920) Manila mints. Most of the coins struck at the Manila mint occurred after 1925.

Proof sets were struck for collectors from 1903 to 1908. It is likely that a large majority of these sets remained unsold at the time they were issued. The recorded mintage for sets in 1905, 1906, and 1908 is a modest 500.

Defenders of Corregidor threw a large number of silver coins into the ocean, rather than allow the Japanese to accumulate this wealth. A great deal of the booty was later recovered, but many of those were badly corroded.

Among the rarest coins in the U.S. Philippines series from the collectors' standpoint are the 1906-S One Peso, the 1916-S Five Centavos, the 1903-S Twenty Centavos (especially in Mint State) and the 1915-S One Centavo.

Three Commemorative coins were minted to celebrate the Commonwealth in 1936. They show President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon and U.S. High Commissioner Frank Murphy, who also has served as the last Governor General of the Islands. The 50 Centavo commemorative has a reported mintage of 20,000 pieces, was struck in 75% silver, and weighs 10 grams (the same specs as other 50 centavos). The two varieties of One Peso commemorative had reported mintages of 10,000 pieces. They weigh 20 grams, and are 90% silver.

Only the current series of coins (New BSP Series) were legal tender as of January 2, 1997, when the Bangko Sentral issued BSP Circular No. 81 which called for the demonetization of all previous existing Central Bank coins minted before 1995.

Recently, fake 10- and 5-piso coins dating 2001 and 2002 have entered circulation. Because of this, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas issued a warning and several security measures on importing and falsifying Philippine coins. And it is because the BSP has announced that there is an artificial shortage of coins last June 2006. The BSP has asked the public to use all small coins or to have them exchanged for banknotes in local banks or other financial institution.

In December 2008 a Philippine Congress resolution called for the retirement and demonetization of all coins less than one peso.

Circulating coins

Philippine peso coins [1]
Image	Value	Diameter	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	First Minted Year
	1 sentimo	15.5 mm	2.0 g	6% copper balanced steel	Round/Plain	"1 SENTIMO", Year Mark	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
	5 sentimo	15.5 mm	1.9 g		Round/Plain (with 4 mm central hole)	"5 SENTIMO", Year Mark	Words "Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas" along the border
	10 sentimo	17.0 mm	2.5 g		Round/Reeded	"10 SENTIMO", Year Mark	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
	25 sentimo	20.0 mm	3.8 g	65% copper 35% zinc	Round/Plain	"25 SENTIMO", Year Mark	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
			3.6 g	65% copper 35% zinc plated steel				2004
	1 piso	24.0 mm	6.1 g	75% copper 25% nickel	Round/Reeded	Profile of José Rizal, Year Mark	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
			5.35 g	nickel plated steel				2004
	5 piso	27.0 mm	7.7 g	70% copper 5.5% nickel 24.5% zinc	Round/Plain (design bordered by 12-scallop)	Profile of Emilio Aguinaldo, Year Mark	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
	10 piso	26.5 mm	8.7 g	Ring: 75% copper 25% nickel Center: 92% copper 6% aluminum 2% nickel	Round/Interrupted milled	Profiles of Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini, Year Mark	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	2000

External links

• Virtual Museum of Spanish Philippine Coinage
• Philippine Coins
• Philippine Coins and Banknotes
• Philippine Coins News & Update
• Philippine Coin Forum