Coins of the Philippine peso

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

History

Both Spain and the United States struck coins for the Philippines while the latter was their colony. Spanish issues were 1 peso, 2 pesos and 4 pesos (all gold from 1861–1868 and again in 1880-1885). Silver fractional coinage ran from 1864–1868 and again from 1880–1885 and were in the denominations of ten centavo, twenty centavo and fifty centavo.

The United States also struck coins for use in the Philippines from 1903 to 1945. Denominations included the ½ centavo, one centavo, five centavo, 10 cen, 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 silver content of 90%, while those struck after 1906 had a reduced silver content of 80%.

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 1918-S Five Centavo Mule, 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, 1998, 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.

Formerly circulating coins

English Series

In 1958, a new, entirely base metal coinage was introduced, consisting of bronze 1 centavo, brass 5 centavos and nickel-brass 10, 25 and 50 centavos.

English Series
Image		Value	Technical parameters				Description			Date of
Obverse	Reverse		Diameter	Thickness	Mass	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	first minting	issue	withdrawal
		1 centavo	18.5 mm			Bronze	Plain	Figure of a man seated beside an anvil holding a hammer and Mt. Mayon, year of minting	Bank title and coat of arms		1958	1967
		5 centavos	20.0 mm			Brass	Plain	Figure of a man seated beside an anvil holding a hammer and Mt. Mayon, year of minting	Bank title and coat of arms		1958	1967
		10 centavos	17.5 mm			Nickel-brass	Reeded	Lady Liberty striking an anvil with a hammer and Mt. Mayon, year of minting	Bank title and coat of arms		1958	1967
		25 centavos	23.5 mm
		50 centavos	30.0 mm

Pilipino Series

In 1967, the coinage was altered to reflect the use of Filipino names for the currency units. 1-piso coins were introduced in 1972.

Pilipino Series
Image	Value	Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	Year of
							first minting	withdrawal
	1 sentimo	10.0 mm	Aluminum	Plain	Lapu-Lapu	State title, coat of arms, year of minting	1967	1974
	5 sentimos	13.0 mm	Brass	Plain	Melchora Aquino	State title, coat of arms, year of minting	1967	1974
	10 sentimos	17.5 mm	Nickel-brass	Reeded	Francisco Baltazar	State title, coat of arms, year of minting	1967	1974
	25 sentimos	21.0 mm			Juan Luna
	50 sentimos	27.0 mm			Marcelo H. del Pilar
	₱1	33.0 mm			Jose Rizal	State title, coat of arms, year of minting between the words "BANGKO" and "SENTRAL"	1972

Ang Bagong Lipunan Series

In 1975, the "Ang Bagong Lipunan" series was introduced with the ₱5 coins included. Aluminium replaced bronze and cupro-nickel replaced nickel-brass that year.

Ang Bagong Lipunan Series
Image	Value	Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	Year of
							first minting	withdrawal
	1 sentimo	11.5 mm (length of side of rounded square)	Aluminum	Plain	State title, Lapu-Lapu, value	"ANG BAGONG LIPUNAN," BSP logo, year of minting	1975	1983
	5 sentimos	13.5 mm (8-pointed rounded star)	Brass	Plain	State title, Melchora Aquino, value	"ANG BAGONG LIPUNAN," BSP logo, year of minting	1975	1983
	10 sentimos	17.5 mm	Nickel-brass	Reeded	State title, Francisco Baltazar, value	"ANG BAGONG LIPUNAN," BSP logo, year of minting	1975	1983
	25 sentimos	21.0 mm			State title, Juan Luna, value
	₱1	28.5 mm			State title, Jose Rizal, value	"ANG BAGONG LIPUNAN," coat of arms with the scroll text altered to "ISANG BANSA, ISANG DIWA" ("One Nation, One Spirit") with two digits of the year minted on both sides, bank title
	₱5	35.0 mm			"ANG BAGONG LIPUNAN," "Setyembre 21, 1972" ("September 21, 1972"), Ferdinand Marcos, year of minting	State title, coat of arms with the scroll text altered to "ISANG BANSA, ISANG DIWA" ("One Nation, One Spirit")		1982

Flora and Fauna Series

The Flora and Fauna series was introduced in 1983 which included ₱2 coins. The sizes of the coins were reduced and ₱5 coins were reintroduced in 1991, with the production of 50-sentimo and ₱2 coins ceasing in 1994.

Flora and Fauna Series
Image	Value	Diameter	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	Year of
							first minting	withdrawal
	1 sentimo	15.5 mm	99.2% Al 0.8% Mg	Plain	State title, Lapu-Lapu, year of minting	Value, Voluta imperialis	1983	1994
	5 sentimos	17.0 mm			State title, Melchora Aquino, year of minting	Value, Vanda sanderiana
	10 sentimos	19.0 mm			State title, Francisco Baltazar, value	Value, Pandaka pygmaea
	25 sentimos	21.0 mm	Brass	Reeded	State title, Juan Luna, year of minting	Value, Graphium idaeoides	1983	1990
	50 sentimos	25.0 mm	75% Cu 25% Ni	Plain	State title, Marcelo H. del Pilar, year of minting	Pithecophaga jefferyi, value	1983	1990
	₱1	29.0 mm		Reeded	State title, Jose Rizal, year of minting	Value, Anoa mindorensis
	₱2	29.8 mm (decagon)		Plain	State title, Andres Bonifacio, year of minting	Cocos nucifera, value
Improved Flora and Fauna Series (1991–1994)
	25 sentimos	16.0 mm	Brass	Plain	State title, Juan Luna, year of minting	Value, Graphium idaeoides	1991	1994
	50 sentimos	17.5 mm		Reeded	State title, Marcelo H. del Pilar, year of minting	Pithecophaga jefferyi, value
	₱1	21.6 mm	Stainless steel	Plain	State title, Jose Rizal, year of minting	Value, Anoa mindorensis	1991	1994
	₱2	24.0 mm		Reeded	State title, Andres Bonifacio, year of minting	Cocos nucifera, value
	₱5	25.5 mm	Nickel brass	Reeded	State title, Emilio Aguinaldo, year of minting	Pterocarpus indicus, value	1991	1994

Circulating coins

Current Series [1]
Image	Value	Diameter	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	First Minted Year
	1 sentimo	15.5 mm	2.0 g	Copper plated steel	Plain	"Republika ng Pilipinas", value, year of minting	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
	5 sentimos	15.5 mm	1.9 g		Plain (with 4 mm central hole)	"Republika ng Pilipinas", value, year of minting	Words "Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas" along the border
	10 sentimos	17.0 mm	2.5 g		Reeded	"Republika ng Pilipinas", value, year of minting	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
	25 sentimos	20.0 mm	3.8 g	Brass	Plain	"Republika ng Pilipinas", value, year of minting	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
			3.6 g	Brass plated steel				2004
	1 peso	24.0 mm	6.1 g	Cupronickel	Reeded	"Republika ng Pilipinas", Profile of José Rizal, value, year of minting	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
			5.35 g	Nickel plated steel				2004
	5 pesos	27.0 mm	7.7 g	70% copper 5.5% nickel 24.5% zinc	Plain	12-pointed scallop border design, "Republika ng Pilipinas", Profile of Emilio Aguinaldo, value, year of minting	12-pointed scallop border design, Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	1995
	10 pesos	26.5 mm	8.7 g	Ring: Cupronickel	Interrupted milled	Ring: "Republika ng Pilipinas", year of minting	Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	2000
				Center: Aluminium bronze		Center: Profiles of Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini, value

References

1. ^ Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas - BSP Notes and Coins and Gold Buying Program

External links

• Philippine Coins
• Philippine Coins and Banknotes
• Philippine Coins News & Update
• Philippine Coin Forum