Collecting money is cool but sharing it with those who need help is even better.
Our brethren in China and Myanmar need all the help and support we can give. While death tolls have reached the tens of thousands, millions continue to suffer from the lack of basic needs, even as you are reading this blog post. Let's not stop at reading the news and feeling sorry for them. Take real action in helping them.
Donate to the victims of the China quake
Donate to the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar
Please post these donation gadgets for China & Myanmar in your own websites or blogs or simply refer your friends to this page. For every dollar you donate, Google will match it with another dollar.
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Philippine Coins and Banknotes
Share the money
Waiting for the new 100 peso bills
It's already the middle of May and still, there is no sign of the 100 peso bill with the UP centennial overprint. Of course we have the uncut notes, but the centennial notes are yet to be in circulation.
It makes me wonder why it's taking so long. Or am I just too excited? I have seen the 2008 series of the 20, 50, and 500 peso bills but the 100 peso notes are nowhere to be found. I've checked with some banks and the newest hundred bills they got are still dated 2007.
Perhaps the Bangko Sentral has yet to exhaust their inventory of the 2007 series? Or is it possible they're holding off the release while the uncut notes continue to sell?
Whatever the reason, surely the banknotes with the UP oblation will be in circulation this year-the centennial year of the University of the Philippines.
Piloncitos - the first coins of the Philippines
Piloncitos are tiny engraved bead-like gold bits unearthed in the Philippines. They are the first recognized coinage in the Philippines circulated between the 9th and 12th centuries. They emerged when increasing trade made barter inconvenient.
The term piloncito comes from the word pilon, a local sugar container that resembles the coin. They are engraved with the Brahmanic character "ma" which looks like an upside down "R". We can only guess that this character refers to the pre-colonial kingdom of Ma-yi which is roughly the Philippines we know today.
Many piloncitos were unknowingly melted into jewelry in the past and very few exist today.
100 Peso UP Centennial Notes
To commemorate the Centennial of the University of the Philippines (UP), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has issued 100-piso banknotes overprinted with the image of the UP Oblation. The Oblation is the iconic symbol of UP, represented by a man with arms wide-stretched and face facing up, symbolizing selfless offering of one's self to his country.
The UP Oblation overprinted on the watermark space to the right of President Manuel Acuña Roxas' portrait, symbolizes 100 years of "academic excellence, leadership and service to the nation" by "one of the most influential institutions" in the Philippines that is UP.
The overprint
The overprint is actually the silhouette of the Oblation surrounded by two concentric circles containing the words "University of the Philippines Centennial", and the years 1908 and 2008. The Oblation silhouette seems to have been ripped off from the design of the 100-peso UP silver proof coin issued in 1983 for UP's Diamond Jubilee.
The first time we learned about the planned overprinting of the Oblation, we made a prediction of how the overprint would look like. While the actual overprint is satisfactory, I was personally hoping they would just use the more presentable UP Centennial logo.
The folder that comes with a collectible series of the banknotes actually says "100-piso banknotes with the overprint of the UP Centennial 2008 logo". The actual overprint is definitely not the UP Centennial logo. Overprints, however, usually do not incorporate more than one level of black so the overprint above would have been more expensive to produce, hence the simplified design.
Buy these bills uncut, now!
The first batch of these overprinted banknotes are available for sale as a limited edition collector's item at the UP Administration Building (Quezon Hall) in UP Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Four uncut bills come with a protective folder and envelope for only P1,000 each.
Based on data gathered, only 10,000 sets of these 100 peso centennial notes will be issued so you better place your order now. Download the order form here.
If you need assistance in ordering these centennial notes, leave a comment below or in the chatbox on the right side of the page. Please forward this post to your friends who might also be interested.
50 Peso Coin - Pope John Paul II visit (1981)
50 Peso Commemorative Coin (1981)
Pope John Paul II visit to the Philippines
Reverse: , "Lorenzo Ruiz Martir na Pilipino", "50 Piso", "Republika ng Pilipinas"
Weight: 27.5 grams
Diameter: 39.0 mm
Mintage: 10,000 pcs
*This post is sponsored by Frito Frio Fried Ice Cream
