UP Oblation soon on P100 bills

Banknote collectors have something to look forward to in 2008. In commemoration of the centennial of the University of the Philippines (UP), the "Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has approved the overprinting of the image of the Oblation on new hundred peso bills to be circulated soon" (up.edu.ph).

The image above is only a speculation. Overprints are usually done on the white space on the right side of the banknote. The overprinted bills will most likely be issued in 2008, the year of UP's centennial.

The Oblation is the iconic symbol of the University of the Philippines, represented by a man with arms wide-stretched and face facing up, symbolizing selfless offering of one's self to his country.

Mabuhay ka Iskolar ng Bayan!

UPDATE: Collectible UP Centennial Banknotes Released

50 Peso Commemorative Coin (International Year of the Child)

Fifty Peso Silver Proof Coin Commemorating the International Year of The Child (1979)

Obverse: Portrait of a Child, International Year of the Child emblem, "Pandaigdig na Taon ng mga Bata", year mark
Reverse: Seal of the Republic of the Philippines, "50 Piso", "Republika ng Pilipinas"

Quality: Proof
Material: Silver

Shape: Round
Edge: Milled

This coin was minted at the Franklin Mint of the United States of America.

The year 1979 was proclaimed the International Year of the Child by the United Nations. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1979 by United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. The proclamation was meant to draw attention to problems that affected children throughout the world, including malnutrition and lack of access to education.

25 Peso Commemorative Coin (UN Conference on Trade and Industry)

Twenty-five Peso Silver Proof Coin Commemorating the UN Conference on Trade and Development

Obverse: United Nations Logo, "United Nations Conference on Trade and Development", year mark (1979)
Reverse: "Philippine International Convention Center Manila", "Republika ng Pilipinas", "25 Piso"

Material: Silver
Quality: Proof

Shape: Round
Edge: Milled

When the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was held in Manila, the Central Bank issued this 25 peso silver coin to commemorate the event. The conference was held in the Philippines International Convention Center (PICC). This coin was minted at the Franklin Mint of the United States of America.

Security Feature - Fluorescent Printing

Ever wondered what cashiers are up to when they hold your banknotes under a money detector? You know, it's that device that emits some sort of dark purple light. It's the same kind of light that attracts innocent insects towards bug zappers.

Alright, your cashier is just checking if your money is fake or not. If placed under the money detector, some parts of the banknote would normally glow and reveal interesting marks. The marks are called fluorescent prints and they "fluoresce" or glow when exposed to UV light.

The money detector holds a special bulb called the UV lamp or black light. It emits ultraviolet light which causes fluorescent dyes on the banknote to light up. Fluorescent marks usually portray the denomination of the banknote and is located off-center to the left of the portraits. The dye is also incorporated in some of the serial numbers and security fibers. This causes them to glow as well.

Fluorescent printing is not entirely new. In fact, Bagong Lipunan bills already had them. Counterfeiters have been known to replicate fluorescent printing into fake bills. thus, it is not an assurance that your money is authentic.

Security Feature - Optically Variable Ink

Optically variable inks (OVI) are very expensive inks applied on banknotes as a security feature. So far, only the 1000 peso bills have this. There are two versions of OVI printing on the 1000 peso banknotes. The image above shows the newer 'improved' version on top of the older one. The former has more coverage and its color varies better. This is an excellent security feature because counterfeiters will need a lot of effort and money to replicate it.

So why are they called optically variable inks? Tiny flakes of color-shifting film are incorporated in the intaglio ink. Thus, prints of OVI change color when viewed from different angles. The pictures below show how the 1000 figure changes from green...

to blue... Or does it?