Philippines coins and banknotes

[Doc Alan]

These banknotes date from 1936, and are signed by Manuel Quezon, President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines :-








The Commonwealth was inaugurated on November 15 1935. It was the result of efforts to secure a definitive timetable for withdrawal of US sovereignty over the country. Because of World War II, the Philippines did not become a Republic until July 4 1946. This " first day cover " commemorated the event :-





Here is another of the " English series " of banknotes issued after independence, signed by President Quirino ( who succeeded Roxas ) :-






More recently, the Central Bank of the Philippines issued 300,000 pieces of this P 2,000 banknote in 1998 – which was legal tender. ( Possibly the world’s largest legal tender note, 14" X 8.5 ", for P 100,000, was also issued, in very limited numbers, in 1998 ).

It features President Estrada taking his oath of office ( June 1998 ) in Barasoain Church, together with the scroll of the Malolos Constitution and the seal of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas :-








On the reverse is the re-enactment of the declaration of Philippine Independence at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite, by President Ramos ( earlier in June 1998 ) :-

[Michael Parnham]

Lovely to see such a wonderful collection of Banknotes and Coins once again Alan, great stuff.

[Doc Alan]

Lovely to see such a wonderful collection of Banknotes and Coins once again Alan, great stuff.

Thank you Michael, I appreciate your loyal support as ever .

[Doc Alan]

More additions to this thread :-


This is the only example I have of emergency currency issued during World War II by the provisional currency board in BOHOL. Notes of this type were deemed legal tender, pledged to be redeemable upon the end of the Japanese Occupation :-











Since independence in 1946, as I have posted previously, there have been four series of banknotes issued by the Central Bank of the Philippines ( now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ). The first was the " English series ", dating from 1951, signed either by Presidents Elpidio Quirino ( 1948 - 1953 ) - as here - or Diosdado Macapagal ( 1961 - 1965 ).


This 20 centavos note is in " uncirculated " condition :-







This " proof " silver 25 pesos coin shows First President of the Philippines Emilio Aguinaldo (1899 - 1901 ) :-








The reverse of the coin depicts " Ang Bagong Lipunan " ( President Ferdinand Marcos’s " New Society " ) :-

[Michael Parnham]

Very interesting, thank you

[Doc Alan]

The 1975 proof sets ( #1, http://bit.ly/1oJnqK8 ) are quite common - over 36,000 sold. The 1976 sets, shown here, sold less than 10,000 - a relatively small number, which declined even further in succeeding years. This was due to declining popularity of then-President Marcos, and changes of fortune for the Franklin Mint in Pennsylvania, where the sets were produced.


The P50 coin shows the emblems of four international economic organizations including the International Monetary Fund.


The P25 showed a young Filipino rice farmer.


The other coins feature Marcos, Jose Rizal, Filipino painter Juan Luna, past national leader Francisco Baltasar, " Mother of the Revolution " Melchora Aquino, and warrior chieftain Lapu-Lapu.

[fred]

Here are some strange new looking Bank notes....Election special editions??

[Tawi2]

They are going to be interesting to numismatists of the future Fred

[Doc Alan]

More examples of the second series of banknotes issued since independence - so-called " Filipino series " ...


The P5 note features Emilio Aguinaldo and is signed here by Fidel Ramos, 12th President ( 1992 - 1998 ) :-







The reverse features the Philippine declaration of independence by Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898 :-






The P10 note features Apolinario Mabini, Philippines First Minister and Secretary of Foreign Affairs, with a letter written by him. It is also signed by President Ramos :-






The reverse features the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, site of the First Philippine Congress and where the Malolos Constitution was drafted ; initiation rites of the Katipunan on the right :-

[Doc Alan]

Fewer than 4,800 proof coin sets were sold in 1978 ( compared to ~36,500 in 1975 and ~10,000 in 1976 ). This set featured two coins with special commemorative designs honouring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Manuel Quezon, in Baler ( Aurora province, Luzon ).


Quezon served as the second president of the country, after Aguinaldo, whom he had supported in the struggle for independence against the United States. He was first president of the Philippine Commonwealth, from 1935 - 1944. The Commonwealth official seal is shown on the silver 50 peso coin. After Japan invaded and occupied the country in 1942, he formed a government in exile in the United States. He died from tuberculosis in New York, before full Philippine independence was established in 1946.


The silver 25 pesos coin features the Quezon Memorial Circle, a national park and shrine in Quezon City, which was capital of the Philippines between 1948 - 1976. Its main feature is a mausoleum containing the remains of Quezon and his wife. The monument, completed in 1978, consists of three vertical pylons ( representing Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao ), 66m tall ( representing Quezon’s age when he died ), surrounded by three mourning angels holding sampaguita.

The other coins are identical to those in previous sets.

[Steve.r]

Do you have a collection of these notes and coins Alan?

[Doc Alan]

Do you have a collection of these notes and coins Alan?

Yes, Steve . Most of the scanned images on this thread, also the stamps and " Vintage " threads, are from my own collection.


They are of great personal interest, and I'm happy to see many " views and responses " on our Forum.

I have no intention of ever selling them . I hope they will be appreciated when I'm no longer around, but haven't seriously considered that so far.

[Steve.r]

A great collection Alan. I have a vast stamp collection of mint sets and first day covers. Not really worth much now, but maybe one day, or just something to pass to my children.

[Doc Alan]

In 1944 over 60 million of these " Victory " banknotes were issued, part of a series to be used after the return of MacArthur. When he came ashore in Leyte he was allegedly carrying some of them in his pocket. The vast majority did not survive over the next 70+ years, and this one is unusual in being " uncirculated ".


It is signed by President Sergio Osmena ( 1944-1946 ) and Jaime Hernandez ( Auditor General ).


The note depicts Apolinario Mabini ( 1864 - 1903 ), Filipino revolutionary leader, and first Prime Minister, who became incapacitated by polio, and died prematurely ( of cholera ).


Mabini’s name lives on in at least four municipalities ( Batangas, Bohol, Compostela Valley and Pangasinan ).

[Michael Parnham]

Unusual Indeed Alan, I like the way you always provide the historical detail, keep up the good work

[Doc Alan]

Unusual indeed Alan, I like the way you always provide the historical detail, keep up the good work

Thank you Michael .

[Doc Alan]

This " New Design Series " banknote, while of no purchasing value, is of historical interest because it is a special commemorative issue.

It is signed by the 11th president ( and first female president ) of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino, dated 15-23 September 1986. It marks her visit to the U.S.A., after earlier being sworn into office ( February of that year ). Her husband, Benigno Aquino, had been assassinated at Manila airport in August 1983. It took Ronald Reagan until April to personally congratulate her by telephone ( having backed Marcos until finally being convinced that " The Marcos era has ended " ). Corazon Aquino addressed Congress, but without Reagan granting her the full honour of a state visit. She passed away ( from colon cancer ) in 2009.


The banknote also shows Emilio Aguinaldo ( First President, 1899 - 1901 ), the reverse featuring his proclamation of independence from Spain on June 2 1898.

[fred]

Peso bills with Rody signatures out

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released yesterday the first batch of banknotes bearing the signature of President Duterte worth P8.75 billion.
BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said the 27 million pieces of P20, P50, P100, P200, P500 and P1,000 new generation currency (NGC) bills were released to banks in the National Capital Region and areas outside NCR.






http://www.philstar.com/headlines/20...signatures-out

[Doc Alan]

Forty years ago this set of proof coins was issued. As with the previous issues the coins bore the Martial Law slogan " Ang Bagong Lipunan ". Less than 5,000 sets were sold - a very low number compared to over 36,000 in 1975, which together with the P25 and P50 coins being silver, has markedly increased its present day value. The sets were originally sold for today’s equivalent of U.S. $70.











While the lower denomination coins are the same as in the previous sets, the P25 coin featured the 2,000-year-old Banawe/Banaue rice terraces, carved into the mountains of Ifugao by ancestors of the indigenous people, around 1500 metres (5000 ft) above sea level, in north Luzon.











The P50 coin commemorates the the Central Bank Security Printing Plant in Quezon City, formally inaugurated by President Marcos in the following year. It also shows two early Philippine coins ( from around 1903 ), with the standing female figure of Liberty ( Libertas being a Roman goddess, depicted on many coins worldwide ), and a Filipino man kneeling against an anvil ( an allegory for hard work done by Filipinos in building their future ). Mount Mayon volcano is on both.











The Printing Plant is close to the Philippine Heart Center, which had been inaugurated two years earlier.







This is my photo from the Center almost 40 years ago :-

[Doc Alan]

As the 1978 proof set photos are not available in #40 ( my free Photobucket allowance was full ), they may be seen here :-


The set featured two coins with special commemorative designs honouring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Manuel Quezon, in Baler ( Aurora province, Luzon )..


Quezon served as the second president of the country, after Aguinaldo, whom he had supported in the struggle for independence against the United States. He was first president of the Philippine Commonwealth, from 1935 - 1944. The Commonwealth official seal is shown on the silver 50 peso coin. After Japan invaded and occupied the country in 1942, he formed a government in exile in the United States. He died from tuberculosis in New York, before full Philippine independence was established in 1946.



The silver 25 pesos coin features the Quezon Memorial Circle, a national park and shrine in Quezon City, which was capital of the Philippines between 1948 - 1976. Its main feature is a mausoleum containing the remains of Quezon and his wife. The monument, completed in 1978, consists of three vertical pylons ( representing Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao ), 66m tall ( representing Quezon’s age when he died ), surrounded by three mourning angels holding sampaguita..













Things were indeed very different ~40 years ago when I first visited the Philippines.


In the UK, Prime Minister was James Callaghan ; David Owen at 38 was the youngest post-WWII Foreign Secretary ; Red Rum won the Grand National for the third time ; the M5 Motorway was completed ; it was the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth’s reign ; Freddie Laker launched his budget Skytrain airline ; colour TV licences exceeded black and white licences for the first time ; inflation was around 16%.


The Philippines had been under Martial Law since September 1972. In 1973 Marcos ordered public execution of a drug trafficker by firing squad. In 1975 Imelda Marcos became Governor of Metro Manila. In 1977 Benigno " Ninoy " Aquino was sentenced to death ( later commuted by Marcos ). In 1978 U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale urged Marcos to " promote liberty and democracy ".


As a visiting young doctor, I saw high standards in the best hospitals ( but couldn’t afford to work in the country on the available salary ) ; a vibrant nightlife in Manila ; more security and less traffic than now. Exchange rates were around P8 for U.S.$ 1, and £1 was worth U.S. $2.


More than one test for Marcos, indeed, by 1978 and beyond …

[Michael Parnham]

Very interesting post Alan as per usual, also Happy New Year to you and your family

[Doc Alan]

Very interesting post Alan as per usual, also Happy New Year to you and your family

Thank you Michael, Happy New Year also to you and yours .

[Arthur Little]

Thankyou, Alan ... for ANOTHER very welcome and informative update to this thread of yours.

[Doc Alan]

My pleasure, Arthur, and good to see over 8,000 views of this thread .

[Doc Alan]

This is the 1979 proof coinage of the Philippines.


Only 3,645 sets were minted, compared to 36,516 in 1975 , and 300 million new pound coins issued by the UK Royal Mint this year).



It included two silver coins bearing special commemorative designs. The P50 coin honoured the International Year of the Child, proclaimed by United Nations to draw attention to worldwide problems affecting children, including malnutrition and lack of access to education.




The P25 coin paid tribute to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ( a permanent intergovernmental body ), which met at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. The Center is part of the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay, Metro Manila. It was inaugurated in 1976, when it hosted an International Monetary Fund meeting. This had been part of the Marcos plan to make Manila one of South East Asia’s financial centres. Around this time, there had been a frenetic phase of building that would transform Manila’s skyline, including 12 luxury hotels, such as the Peninsula Manila, which opened in 1976.















International Convention Center :-








I don’t regard these sets as investments, and would never sell them, but I do find them of aesthetic and historical interest. It’s good to to note nearly 10,000 views of this thread on our Forum .

[Doc Alan]

This 1963 silver 1 peso coin, of which 100,000 were issued, commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Andres Bonifacio.


Two years previously the peso had been allowed - under President Diosdado Macapagal - to float on the free currency exchange market. By " unpegging " it from the US dollar, it was intended to stimulate economic development. In 1963 there were around P3 to $1 ( which itself was less than 3 to £1 ).












Bonifacio was one of the Philippine heroes in the revolution against the colonial rule of Spain. There is a 14m high monument in South Caloocan, sculpted by Guillermo Tolentino in 1933. This view shows the monument around the time the peso coin was issued :-

[Doc Alan]

The Bangko Sentral Pilipinas ( BSP ) will be releasing 1,000 peso polymer banknotes from April 18. They will initially be "over-the-counter", as ATMs ( automated teller machines ) will have to be reconfigured over the next few months. They will be issued alongside the 1,000 peso paper banknotes.

The polymer banknote has the Philippine eagle and sampaguita on the obverse side; and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, South Sea Pearl, and T'nalak weave design on the reverse side ( the same as the current paper banknote ).

Security features have been designed using advanced technology to deter counterfeiting.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1171715

[Rory]

Thanks for the update Doc.
I had a good read as i am more concerned about all the 1000 peso notes i have here in the UK and if they will still be legal tender by the time i get back there.
There was no comment on when the older paper notes will be cut from circulation or when businesses will not accept them any more.

[Doc Alan]

I understand your concern Rory, but BSP have stated there will be no demonetisation ( removal of currency ) " during the Governor's term ", and they have given advance notice of currency changes in the past.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/12/...-watch/1825963

Even when the "New Generation " banknotes replaced the " New Design " banknotes, the public could still have the old banknotes exchanged at authorized financial institutions like universal and commercial banks, thrift banks, rural banks, and cooperative banks.

[Dave_]

It is not just de-monetisation that devalues currency, it's also inflation and exchange rates.

I am currently having a short break in Istanbul, Turkey.
When I was last here in April 2019 there were about 7.5 Turkish Lira to one British pound, now there are about 19, and the cost of a beer has increased significantly.

Over three years the 600 Turkish Lira I kept in my travel bag devalued from £80 to £32.