Philippines 1944-S 50 centavos
This type was struck for the Philippines 1944-45. It superseded a fifty centavos struck 1907-21 with a slightly different reverse. The reverses of Philippine coins were redesigned to feature a new coat of arms upon the inauguration of the Commonwealth in 1936. While one, five, ten and twenty centavos pieces were struck in the thirties, no fifty centavo pieces were coined until this issue from San Francisco in 1944. They were introduced following the landing of MacArthur at Leyte and were saved in large numbers by American soldiers serving there. Today, this handsome coin is available in all grades including uncirculated. All were demonetized by the Philippine government in the late 1960's when the currency was reformed.
Recorded Mintage: 19,187,000.
Specifications: 10.00 g, 0.750 fine silver, .2411 troy oz ASW, reeded edge.
Catalog Reference: KM 183.
- 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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