Philippines 1919-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 1919-S is a better date. All were demonetized by the Philippine government in the late 1960's when the currency was reformed. The specimen shown has streaky toning, frequently encountered on copper-nickel coins when the alloy was not properly mixed before rolling into sheets.
Recorded mintage: 1,220,000.
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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