Philippines 1916-S 5 centavos
This type was struck for the Philippines 1903-28. The early dates (1903-08) are from the Philadelphia mint, the middle dates (1916-19) are from the San Francisco mint and the later dates (1925-28)(1920-1921 without a mint mark) are from the Manila mint. The Manila mint struck reduced size five centavos 1930-35 (KM 175). In 1937, with the inauguration of the Commonwealth, the reverse was redesigned. This third type (KM 180) was struck at Manila 1937-41 and at San Francisco in 1944-45. Many of the dates are rare, especially in nice condition, and the 1916-S is the key date, priced higher than the 1905-08 proof only dates. All were demonetized by the Philippine government in the late 1960's when the currency was reformed. The white tabs on the specimen shown are from the coin holder.
Recorded mintage: 300,000.
Specification: 5 g, copper-nickel, 21.3 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 164.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Ganzon de Legarda, Angelita, Piloncitos to Pesos, A Brief History of Coinage in the Philippines, Manila: Bancom Development Corporation, 1976.
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