The Philippine one-peso coin (₱1) is the fourth-largest denomination coin of 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 ...

. The current version, issued in 2018, features a portrait of Philippine

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

, José Rizal on the obverse. The reverse side features the

Waling-waling ''Vanda sanderiana'' is a species of orchid. It is commonly called Waling-waling in the Philippines and is also called Sander's Vanda, after Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, a noted orchidologist. The orchid is considered to be the "Queen of Ph ...

orchid and the current logo of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

History

Spanish administration

Prior to 1861

Spanish dollars 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 ...

(pesos) or eight-real coins issued by

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' imperial era between 15th and 19th centuries. To the e ...

were generally accepted in the Philippines. In 1861 a gold 1-peso coin specifically for the Philippines was issued weighing 1.69 grams of 0.875 fine gold. In 1897 a silver 1-peso coin specifically for the Philippines was issued weighing 25.0 grams of 0.9 fine silver.

United States administration

In 1903 the 1-peso coin equivalent to half a

U.S. dollar The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...

was minted for the Philippines, weighing 26.96 grams of 0.9 fine silver. Its specifications were reduced from 1907 to 1912 to 20.0 grams of 0.8 fine silver. This was minted in quantity and widely kept in Philippine banks until the start of the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

when several million pesos were thrown off Corregidor rather than be surrendered to the Imperial Japanese.

Independence

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 ...

From 1972 to 1974, the one peso was reintroduced, making it the largest denomination of the series. The nickel-brass coin bears the denomination and a profile of José Rizal, a writer and a key member of the Filipino

Propaganda Movement The Propaganda Movement encompassed the activities of a group of Filipinos who called for political reforms in their land in the late 19th century, and produced books, leaflets, and newspaper articles to educate others about their goals and is ...

which advocated

political reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

s for the colony under

, faced to the left on the obverse, while the year of minting, the inscription ' Republika ng Pilipinas' and its official

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 ...

, are all on the reverse.

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 ...

From 1975 to 1982, a new one peso coin was issued. The obverse now bears the inscription 'Republika ng Pilipinas' and a portrait of Rizal now faced to the right. The year of minting, the inscription 'Ang Bagong Lipunan' and the official coat of arms of the Philippines, are all on the reverse.

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 ...

From 1983 to 1990 and 1991 to 1994, two new one peso coins were issued, the latter of a smaller size concurrent to the last four years of the series. The obverse now features the year of minting and a profile of Rizal faced on the right on the obverse. An image of Anoa mindorensis, or, ambiguously, tamaraw, an animal native to the Philippines, and the denomination, are all on the reverse.

BSP Coin Series

Issued from 1995 to 2003 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 ...

and from 2004 to 2017 in

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow ...

-plated steel, the coin features an enlarged denomination on the obverse, while the inscription '

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 Ac ...

' and its official seal are all on the reverse. Since August 2006, it has been known that the one-peso coin of this series has the same size as the 1 dirham coin of the United Arab Emirates. This has led to the one-peso coins being used for vending machine fraud in the United Arab Emirates.

New Generation Currency Coin Series

Issued in 2018, the new one peso coin features a portrait of José Rizal, denomination and year of issue on the obverse. The reverse design features the

orchid along with the logo of the

Version history

Commemorative coins

In December 2011, the

(BSP) released a limited edition commemorative one-peso coin. minted as a tribute to the national hero Jose Rizal who celebrated his 150th birth anniversary last June 19, 2011. In November 2017, the

unveiled a commemorative one-peso coin design for the 50th anniversary of the

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

, in conjunction with the Philippines' hosting of the ASEAN Summit.

References

{{Philippine peso history Currencies of the Philippines One-base-unit coins