Coins of the Philippine peso
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New Generation Currency Series The New Generation Currency (NGC) Series is the name used to refer to Philippine peso Banknotes of the Philippine peso, banknotes issued since 2010 and Coins of the Philippine peso, coins issued since 2018 (2017 for the Philippine five peso coin, ...
'' coins. circle 68 53 44 Philippine one centavo coin circle 167 52 49 Philippine five centavo coin circle 282 56 56
Philippine twenty-five centavo coin The Philippine twenty-five-centavo coin (25¢) coin is the third-lowest denomination coin of the Philippine peso. During Spanish administration, coins valued at 1/4 a ''Spanish dollar (or peso)'' or two ''Spanish real, reales'' issued by Spain an ...
circle 69 161 61
Philippine one peso coin The Philippine one-peso coin (₱1) is the fourth-largest denomination coin of the Philippine peso. The current version, issued in 2018, features a portrait of Philippine National hero of the Philippines, national hero, José Rizal on the obver ...
circle 196 163 60
Philippine five peso coin The Philippine five-peso coin (₱5) is the third-largest denomination of the coins of the Philippine peso. Three versions of the coin are in circulation, the version from the BSP Series which was issued from 1995 to 2017, the original round co ...
circle 326 180 66 Philippine ten peso coin
Philippine peso coins are issued by the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...
for circulation in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
and are currently available in seven denominations. The
Philippine peso The Philippine peso, also referred to by its Tagalog name ''piso'' (Philippine English: , , plural pesos; tl, piso ; sign: ₱; code: PHP), is the official currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 ''sentimo'', also called ce ...
has been in use since Spanish rule.


History

The Philippine peso is derived from the ''
Spanish dollar The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight ( es, Real de a ocho, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content ...
'' or ''pieces of eight'' brought over in large quantities by the Manila galleons of the 16th to 19th centuries. From the same ''Spanish peso'' or ''dollar'' is derived the various pesos of Latin America, the dollars of the US and
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, as well as the
Chinese yuan The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 202 ...
and the
Japanese yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the ...
.


Pre-Hispanic era

Gold was an important medium of exchange in the various territories of pre-Hispanic Philippines, in the form of stamped gold beads called ''
piloncitos Piloncitos (also known as bulawan, and as "granitos de oro" in very early records) are small "bead-like" pieces of gold which were used as currency during the Philippines' Archaic period and in the earliest years of the country's Spanish coloni ...
'' and gold barter rings. The original silver currency unit was the ''rupee'' or ''rupiah'' (known locally as ''salapi''), brought over by trade with India and Indonesia. The ''salapi'' continued under Spanish rule as a ''teston'' worth four ''reales'' or half a Spanish peso.


Spanish administration

The Spanish silver peso worth eight ''reales'' was first introduced by the
Magellan expedition The Magellan expedition, also known as the Magellan–Elcano expedition, was the first voyage around the world in recorded history. It was a 16th century Spanish expedition initially led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Moluccas ...
of 1521 and brought in large quantities by the
Manila galleons fil, Galyon ng Maynila , english_name = Manila Galleon , duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years) , venue = Between Manila and Acapulco , location = New Spain (Spanish Empire) ...
after the 1565 conquest of the Philippines; see ''
Spanish dollar The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight ( es, Real de a ocho, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content ...
''. The local ''salapi'' continued under Spanish rule as a half-peso coin. Additionally, Spanish gold ''onzas'' or eight-''
escudo The escudo ( Portuguese: 'shield') is a unit of currency historically used in Portugal and its colonies in South America, Asia, and Africa. It was originally worth 16 silver . The Cape Verdean escudo and the former Portuguese escudo (PTE), eac ...
'' coins were also introduced with identical weight to the Spanish dollar but valued at 16 silver pesos. Until the
Manila mint The Manila Mint ( es, Real Casa de la Moneda y Timbre de Manila) was a coinage mint that briefly served as a branch of the United States Mint, located in Manila, now the capital city of the Philippines. History Spanish facility Originally co ...
was established in 1857 the Philippines had no money of its own. Gold and silver coins brought to it by Spain, China and neighboring countries were in circulation. Denominations consisted of * In gold ''escudos'': 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8 escudos; each escudo worth approximately 2 silver pesos or 16 reales. * In silver ''reales'': 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8 reales; one peso equals 8 reales. * In copper: 1/2, 1, 2 ''cuartos''; 20 cuartos in a real and 160 cuartos in a peso. The ''Casa de Moneda de Manila'' (or Manila mint) was founded in 1857 in order to supply smaller Philippine currency after the California gold rush of 1848 made silver more expensive and drained the colony of silver and small gold coins. It produced the following denominations according to Spanish standards, with 100 ''centimos'' equal to a peso: * In gold: 1, 2, 4 pesos; the 4 pesos weighing 6.766 grams of 0.875 fine gold * In silver: 10, 20, 50 centimos; the 50 centimos weighing 12.98 grams of 0.9 fine silver (fineness reduced to 0.835 in 1881) The dearth of pre-1857 copper coins were addressed by counterfeit two-cuarto coins (worth 1/80th of a peso) made by Igorot copper miners in the Cordilleras. In 1897 Spain brought over 1-peso silver coins as well as 5- and 10-''centimos de peseta'' to be accepted by Filipinos as 1- and 2-''centimos de peso''.


United States administration

The United States also struck coins for use in the Philippines from 1903 to 1945. Denominations included the
centavo The centavo (Spanish and Portuguese 'one hundredth') is a fractional monetary unit that represents one hundredth of a basic monetary unit in many countries around the world. The term comes from Latin ''centum'', ('one hundred'), with the added suf ...
, one centavo, five centavo, 10 centavo, 20 centavo, 50 centavo, and one
peso The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the Dollar sign, same sign, "$", as many currencies na ...
. The and 1 centavo coins were struck in
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
, the 5 centavo struck in copper (75%) - nickel (25%), the 10, 20, 50 centavo and peso coins were struck in a
silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
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 75% for 10 through 50 centavos and 80% for the peso. In both cases the silver was alloyed with copper. The
obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...
of these coins remained largely unchanged during the years 1903 to 1945. The 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 Mayon ( bcl, Bulkan Mayon; tl, Bulkang Mayon, ), also known as Mount Mayon and Mayon Volcano ( es, Monte Mayón, Volcán Mayón), is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay in Bicol, Philippines. A popular tourist spot, it is renow ...
, 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 In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...
, 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 Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 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 Collector(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Collector (character), a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe * ''Collector'' (2011 film), a 2011 Indian Malayalam film * ''Collector'' (2016 film), a 2016 Russian film * ''Collec ...
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 Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
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 coin Commemorative coins are coins issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Many coins of this category serve as collectors items only, although some countries ...
s were minted to celebrate the Commonwealth in 1936. They show
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, Commonwealth President
Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his dea ...
and U.S. High Commissioner
Frank Murphy William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving ...
, who also has served as the last
Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
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 specifications 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.


Culion leper colony coinage

The
Culion leper colony The Culion Leper Colony is a former leprosarium located on Culion, an island in the Palawan province of the Philippines. It was established by the U.S. government in order to rid leprosy from the Philippine Islands through the only method known at ...
was established in May 1906 by the
Insular Government of the Philippine Islands The Insular Government of the Philippine IslandsThis form of the name appeared in the titles of U.S. Supreme Court cases, but was otherwise rarely used. See Costas v. Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, 221 U.S. 623, 1911. The Admini ...
in
Culion Island Culion, officially the Municipality of Culion ( tgl, Bayan ng Culion), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,213 people. Culion consists primarily of Culion ...
,
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...
. It was modeled after the
Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement Kalaupapa National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, on the island of Molokai. Coterminous with the boundaries of Kalawao County and primarily on Kalaupapa peninsula, it was established by ...
in
Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. It was issued its own Special Culion Currency due to the erroneous belief that
leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
could be transmitted via handling of money. Only inmates of the colony were allowed to use what was commonly known as "leper money." It was prohibited for inmates to use regular Philippine currency, and it was prohibited for non-lepers to use the Culion currency. The first and second issues (1913 and 1920) were struck in
aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
by the Frank & Co. die establishment. All subsequent issues were minted by the newly reopened
Manila Mint The Manila Mint ( es, Real Casa de la Moneda y Timbre de Manila) was a coinage mint that briefly served as a branch of the United States Mint, located in Manila, now the capital city of the Philippines. History Spanish facility Originally co ...
. The third issue (1922) was also aluminum, but the fourth, fifth, and sixth issues (1925, 1927, and 1930) were in
copper-nickel Cupronickel or copper-nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper that contains nickel and strengthening elements, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. (Monel is a nickel-copper alloy that contains a minimu ...
alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...
. The sixth issue was the final issue. In total, around 169,000 coins were struck for the Culion leper colony, between 1913 and 1930. By the 1920s, the segregation laws were relaxed. Non-leper settlers (locally known as ''sano'') started coming into the island, mostly family members of the thousands of inmates who were forcibly relocated to the island during via the segregation program. However, exchange of money between the leper inmates and the non-leper settlers was still prohibited. In 1942, during the
Japanese invasion of the Philippines Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Culion was cut off from Manila, leading to a shortage of currency. The local Culion authorities issued an emergency currency printed on paper, with centavo denominations in pink paper and peso denominations in blue paper. The Japanese later attacked the island and destroyed its port, radio tower, and electricity generators, cutting off all supplies and contact to the island. This resulted in widespread starvation that resulted in 2,000 deaths. People who fled the island were also killed. It wasn't until 1945 that the
US Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
was able to drop supplies on the island by parachute. After
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
, the segregation law was revised to allow private home isolation and treatment, removing the need for a leper colony. By the 1980s, multi-drug therapies had reduced the status of leprosy to a treatable disease. In 2006, it was declared a leprosy-free area by the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
. The currency is discontinued but remains popular among
coin collector Coin collecting is the collecting of coins or other forms of minted legal tender. Coins of interest to collectors often include those that were in circulation for only a brief time, coins with mint errors, and especially beautiful or historic ...
s.


After Philippine independence, 1946-1994

After the granting of independence to the Philippines in 1946, no coins were minted for the Philippine Republic until 1958, other than a small silver commemorative issue in 1947 to honor General
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
. A total of 200,000 50 centavos and 100,000 one peso coins were minted with the general's image on the obverse and the national
coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...
on the reverse. Struck at the
San Francisco Mint The San Francisco Mint is a branch of the United States Mint. Opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the California Gold Rush, in twenty years its operations exceeded the capacity of the first building. It moved into a new one in 1874, now kno ...
, they carry the "S"
mintmark A mint mark is a letter, symbol or an inscription on a coin indicating the mint where the coin was produced. It should not be confused with a mintmaster mark which is the mark of the mintmaster. History Mint marks were first developed to locate ...
below the date. In 1958, the 20 centavos was replaced with a 25 centavos and all coins were resized to be the same diameter as their US equivalents, albeit in more base metals, other than the centavo. The same seated man with anvil and volcano or standing liberty with anvil and volcano designs were retained for the obverses while the seal of the Central Bank of the Philippines dominated the reverse. These coins were minted by the
Philadelphia Mint The Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national ...
from 1958 through 1963, and then by the
Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by His Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclus ...
in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallweke in
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in 1965 (dated 1964) and 1966. In view of all subsequent issues using the Tagalog language, this coinage is often referred to as the
English Series The English Series were Philippine banknotes and coins that circulated from 1949 to 1969. It was the first banknote and coin series of the newly established Central Bank of the Philippines and was the only banknote and coin series of the Philippin ...
since it uses the
English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
. The next series was introduced in 1967, introducing images of various Philippine national heroes, and the use of the Tagalog (or "Pilipino") language, hence being called the
Pilipino Series The Pilipino Series banknotes is the name used to refer to Philippine banknotes and coins issued by the Central Bank of the Philippines from 1969 to 1973, during the term of President Ferdinand Marcos. It was succeeded by the Ang Bagong Lipunan Seri ...
. The sizes of the coins were reduced. These coins were struck by the various US mints, except for some 50 centavos pieces dated 1972 which were minted in Singapore, and a couple commemorative issues struck by the Sherritt Mint in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. In 1972 the one peso denomination was reintroduced. In commemoration of Fedinand Marcos' declaration of Martial Law (which he titled "Ang Bagong Lipunan," the new society), a new series of coinage was issued in 1975, referred to as the
Ang Bagong Lipunan Series The ''Ang Bagong Lipunan'' Series (literally, ”The New Society Series") is the name used to refer to Philippine banknotes and coins issued by the Central Bank of the Philippines from 1973 to 1985. It was succeeded by the New Design series of bank ...
. The 50 sentimo was done away with as a denomination and a new 5 peso issue took its place. A variety of mints provided these coins, including the Royal Mint in England and the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallweke in West Germany, Philadelphia and San Francisco mints in the US, the
Franklin Mint The Franklin Mint is a private mint founded by Joseph Segel in 1964 in Wawa, Pennsylvania. The building is in Middletown Township. The brand name was previously owned by Sequential Brands Group headquartered in New York City, New York. It is ...
(a private mint also in the US), the Sherritt Mint in Canada, and finally the Philippine's own mint, once it was opened and able to produce coinage. From this point on, the Philippine Mint (Bangko Sentral Pilipinas, "BSP") produced nearly all Philippine coinage. After eight years, the Ang Bagong Lipunan series gave way to a new series titled the
Flora and Fauna Series The Flora and Fauna Series was a series of Philippine peso coins minted from 1983 to 1994, in denominations from 1 sentimo to ₱2. The series used the Optima typeface. The sizes of the coins were reduced, and ₱5 coins were reintroduced, in ...
, in which the coins, in addition to featuring various Philippine national heroes as before, also began featuring various plant and animal life forms native to the Philippines. The 50 sentimo and 2 piso denominations were reintroduced, which latter had not been struck as a coin since the Spanish had struck it in gold. The 5 piso denomination was stopped, but resumed (in a new smaller size) concurrent to the final four years of the Improved
Flora and Fauna Series The Flora and Fauna Series was a series of Philippine peso coins minted from 1983 to 1994, in denominations from 1 sentimo to ₱2. The series used the Optima typeface. The sizes of the coins were reduced, and ₱5 coins were reintroduced, in ...
which featured reduced sizes for all denominations. The Flora and Fauna Series was struck from 1983 through 1994.


Philippine issues since 1995

In 1995, the new BSP Series was introduced, which is still circulating today. Only this current series of coins are legal tender after January 2, 1998, when the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...
issued BSP Circular No. 81 which called for the demonetization of all previous existing Central Bank coins minted before 1995. Coins under this series originally included 1-, 5-, 10- and 25-sentimo, 1-piso and 5-piso. A bimetallic 10-piso coin was added in 2001 to replace the 10-piso note. Recently, fake 10- and 5-piso coins dating 2001 and 2002 have entered circulation. Because of this, the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...
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. Denominations worth 25 sentimo (~US$0.005) and below are still issued but have been increasingly regarded as a nuisance. Proposals to retire and demonetize all coins less than one peso in value have been rejected by the government and the BSP. On November 29, 2017, the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...
announced the release of the first coin in the
New Generation Currency Series The New Generation Currency (NGC) Series is the name used to refer to Philippine peso Banknotes of the Philippine peso, banknotes issued since 2010 and Coins of the Philippine peso, coins issued since 2018 (2017 for the Philippine five peso coin, ...
for circulation starting December 2017. As a tribute to the 154th birth anniversary of
Andres Bonifacio Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...
, the first coin to be released was the new silver-colored 5-peso coin featuring Bonifacio on the obverse, replacing
Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...
. The reverse features the Tayabak plant and the new BSP logo. The rest of the NGC coin series were presented on March 26, 2018. The rest of the series was released March 2018 consisting of 1-, 5- and 25-sentimo and 1-, 5- and 10-piso. A 20-peso coin was added to the series on December 17, 2019, in order to replace the overused 20-piso banknote with a coin that could last 10–15 years longer in circulation.


Formerly circulating coins


Spanish administration


The Philippines under U.S. Sovereignty


Commonwealth Issues

In 1935, when the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
was established by the
Congress of the United States The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
, they issued a three-piece commemorative set (that sold very poorly) to commemorate the occasion. In 1937, the Commonwealth Arms were adapted to all circulating coinage. (Mint marks are ''M'' for Manila, ''D'' for Denver, ''S'' for San Francisco, and no mint mark for Philadelphia)


Commonwealth Commemorative Issues


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. This series was demonetized after August 31, 1979, except for the 10-centavo that was demonetized only after January 2, 1998.


Pilipino series

In 1967, the coinage was altered to reflect the use of Filipino names for the currency units. 1-piso coins were reintroduced in 1972. The series was demonetized after Jan. 2, 1998.


''Ang Bagong Lipunan'' series

In 1975, the ''Ang Bagong Lipunan'' (''The New Society'') series, was introduced with ₱5 coins included for this series. Cupro-nickel replaced nickel-brass that year. The series was demonetized after Jan. 2, 1998.


Flora and Fauna series

The ''Flora and Fauna'' series was introduced in 1983 which included ₱2 coins. This series used the
Optima Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic ...
typeface. ₱5 coins were reintroduced in 1991, and reduced-size 25-sentimo, 50-sentimo, ₱1 and ₱2 coins were distributed starting Dec 1992. Production of 50-sentimo and ₱2 coins ceased in 1995. The series was demonetized after Jan. 2, 1998. The ''Flora and Fauna'' series had an error for some coins, in 1983. The text for 10 centavos for scientific name of the Philippine goby was "''Pandaka pygmea''" instead of "''Pandaka pygmaea''" and the 50 centavo coin for the Philippine eagle was "''Pithecobhaga jefferyi''" instead of "''Pithecophaga jefferyi''".


Circulating coins


BSP Coin series

In December 1995, a new set of coins and notes was issued which carried the new logo of the BSP: 5- and 1-piso and 25-, 10-, 5- and 1-sentimo, with the aim of carrying out the demonetization of all previous series on Jan 3, 1998. On July 10, 2001, BSP issued the 10-piso coin for general circulation to commemorate its 8th anniversary. It has the profiles of
Andres Bonifacio Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...
and
Apolinario Mabini Apolinario Mabini y Maranan (, July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the first ...
in a con-joint or in tandem manner on the obverse side. The reverse side bears the seal of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which is consistent with the common reverse design of the other six denominations. This has been an additional denomination to the current coin circulation and a replacement for the 10-piso NDS banknote. The series used the
Optima Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic ...
typeface A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font. There are list of type ...
. The 1995, 1997 and 1998 5 peso coins had no mint marks, but coins issued from 1999 onward had mint marks. The 1997 and 1998 coins (with no mint mark) were minted by the
Royal Canadian Mint }) is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under the ''Royal Canadian Mint Act''. The shares of the Mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada. The Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures ...
. However, not all 1997 and 1998 coins were minted by the Royal Canadian Mint, quite a few were minted by the BSP (with mint mark).


New Generation Currency Coin series

On March 26, 2018, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas introduced the '' New Generation Currency Coin Series'' which was circulated through banks the next day. The new series features native Philippine flora. Sentimo denominated coins depict a stylized representation of the
Philippine flag The national flag of the Philippines ( tgl, Pambansang watawat ng Pilipinas; ilo, Nailian a bandera ti Filipinas; ceb, Nasudnong bandila ng Pilipinas; es, Bandera Nacional de Filipinas) is a horizontal List of flags by design#Bicolour, bicol ...
on the obverse. Peso denominated coins depict the portraits of renowned national heroes of the Philippines on the obverse. However, the 10-sentimo coin is not included in this series, because it was removed as a general circulation coin. This series uses the
Twentieth Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 (1901, MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 (2000, MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu, Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and ...
and the
Arial Arial (also called Arial MT) is a sans-serif typeface and set of computer fonts in the neo-grotesque style. Fonts from the Arial family are included with all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 3.1 on, some other Microsoft software appli ...
typeface ( 20 peso coin only). In July 2019, the BSP announced plans to replace the 20 bill with a ₱20 coin by the 1st quarter of 2020. In September 2019,
Benjamin Diokno Benjamin Estoista Diokno (born March 31, 1948) is a Filipino economist currently serving as the 32nd Secretary of Finance under the administration of President Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr. since June 30, 2022. He previously served as Secr ...
(the current BSP Governor) finally came up on having a solution for the ₱5 coin that is always confused with the current ₱1 coins, the new ₱5 coin that will be minted will have a
nonagon In geometry, a nonagon () or enneagon () is a nine-sided polygon or 9-gon. The name ''nonagon'' is a prefix hybrid formation, from Latin (''nonus'', "ninth" + ''gonon''), used equivalently, attested already in the 16th century in French ''nonogo ...
al shape. Also, the ₱20 coin was finally designed in the same month and both coins were released on December 17, 2019. Please replace coin images in the 2018 series to direct scans by John Alan Elson (http://www.3dham.com/scancoins/)


Current legal tender commemorative coins

On December 9, 2011, the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...
issued a commemorative one-peso coin in celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of
José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...
. The coins are in the same dimensions as the circulating one peso coins with Rizal's face from the front instead of in profile. The new coin also has the new logo of the central bank and is
legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in pa ...
with the current series. On December 18, 2013, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas issued a commemorative ten-peso coin in celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of
Andres Bonifacio Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...
. The coins are in the same dimensions but the design changed. These also featured the new logo of the central bank and is also
legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in pa ...
. On December 22, 2014, the BSP issued three commemorative coins, a five-peso coin to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings, a five-peso coin honoring
Overseas Filipinos An overseas Filipino ( fil, Pilipino sa ibayong-dagat) is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to b ...
with the theme "Bagong Bayani" and a ten-peso coin celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the birth of
Apolinario Mabini Apolinario Mabini y Maranan (, July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the first ...
. On January 14, 2015, the BSP issued two limited edition commemorative coins for the papal visit of Pope Francis, a 50-peso coin made of nickel-brass steel and a 500-peso coin made of Nordic gold with gold plating. A special logo with the theme "Mercy and Compassion" was minted on the reverse side of both coins, following the Pope's papal bull of indiction proclaimed later that year to mark the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy ( la, Iubilaeum Extraordinarium Misericordiae) was a Catholic period of prayer held from 8 December 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, to 20 November 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. Like pre ...
. The coins are minted under a licensing agreement with the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
. Both coins are legal tender. Production and issuance of two additional silver and gold coins in 1000-peso and 10,000-peso denominations were called off due to limitations in the procurement process. On December 21, 2015, the BSP issued a commemorative 10-peso coin in honor of General
Miguel Malvar Miguel Malvar y Carpio (September 27, 1865 – October 13, 1911) was a Filipino general who served during the Philippine Revolution and, subsequently, during the Philippine–American War. He assumed command of the Philippine revolutionary force ...
, in time for the 150th year birth anniversary. On January 27, 2017, the BSP issued a commemorative one-peso coin in honor of the Philippines' Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In August and November 2017, the BSP issued commemorative one-peso coins and 10-peso coin both honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of educator and historian
Horacio de la Costa Horacio Villamayor de la Costa (May 9, 1916 – March 20, 1977) was the first Filipino Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines, and a recognized authority in Philippine and Asian culture and history. A writer, scholar, and ...
and the 150th anniversary of the birth of three officers of the
Philippine Revolutionary Army The Philippine Revolutionary Army, later renamed Philippine Republican Army (Spanish: ''Ejército Revolucionario Filipino''; Tagalog: ''Panghimagsikang Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''), was the official armed forces of the First Philippine Repu ...
, Generals
Artemio Ricarte Artemio Ricarte y García (October 20, 1866 – July 31, 1945) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. He is regarded as the ''Father of the Philippine Army'', and the first Chief of Staff of ...

Isidoro Torres
and
Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipino army general who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination in 1899. Regarded as one of the fiercest generals of his ...
. On March 11, 2022, the BSP issued a commemorative 125-peso coin to honor the 125th martyrdom anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal.


Summary of the Philippine coin series


Notes


References


External links


Sinsilyo
{{Philippine peso history Coins of the Philippines Currencies of the Philippines
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...