100 Peso University of the Philippines Silver Proof

image courtesy of dekada_collectibles and jt40tmh of ebay

100 Piso Silver Proof Coin (1983)
University of the Philippines Diamond Jubilee

Obverse: UP Oblation, "Pamantasan ng Pilipinas", "1908-1983", Quezon Hall (UP Diliman Administration Building), Gonzalez Hall (UP Diliman Main Library)
Reverse: Seal of the Republic of the Philippines, "100 Piso", "Republika ng Pilipinas"

Composition: 50% silver, 50% copper
Diameter: 38.00mm
Weight: 25grams
Mintage: 2000 pieces

Full text:

The Central Bank of the Philippines has commissioned the Royal Mint to strike a limited number of silver 100 piso proof coins, in commemoration of the diamond jubilee of the University of the Philippines.

The reverse depicts the seal of the Republic of the Philippines, adopted in 1946. Contained within the seal are elements from former Coats of Arms; the Lion from the Spanish period and the Eagle form the American era. The centre cartouche reflecting the sun with 8 rays, symbolizes independence and the 8 provinces which rose in revolt against Spain in 1896.


The obverse reflects the Oblation, a statue of a young man in a symbolic gesture of sacrificial offering for country and humanity. Created in 1934 by the famous Filipino sculptor, Guillermo E. Tolentino, it now stands in front of the Administration building of the University of the Philippines.

Each coin contains 50% silver and 50% copper, weighs 25 grams and measures 38.00mm in diameter. A maximum of only 2000 will be issued for worldwide distribution, of which 750 are included in the 1983 Philippines proof coin collection.

It is advisable to avoid handling proof coins as fingerprints or marks will spoil them.

Banknote and Coin Production Statistics (2006)

Banknotes

The Banknotes & Securities Printing Department of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas is responsible for the printing of banknotes. Shown below is its production for the ten years period.

Year - Production(in millions)
1995 - 735.05
1996 - 594.93
1997 - 619.77
1998 - 735.50
1999 - 1368.04
2000 - 849.00
2001 - 802.55
2002 - 865.62
2003 - 775.58
2004 - 942.03
2005 - 987.00
2006 - 801.50

Total value of banknotes issued in 2006 was worth PhP 448.9 billion in 2.068.55 million pieces of banknotes.

Coins

In 2006, the BSP Mint produced 1.140 billion circulation coins. Total value of coins in circulation for that year was worth PhP 13 billion in 12,131.88 million pieces of coins.

Currency Retirement

A total of P25.47 billion (463.28 million pieces)processed/verified cancelled unfit notes were retired through the Security Engineer Machine (SEM)Disintegrator in 2006. Meanwhile, a total of P66.61 billion (110.05 million pieces) were retired on-line, higher by 84.15 percent than its level during the previous year.

Security Fibers - Security Feature

There are two kinds of security fibers. The first one is the visible security fibers. These are easily seen in current Philippine banknotes as the blue and red fibers that are randomly spread throughout the front and back of the paper. The other kind is the invisible security fiber. These glow a fluorescent yellow under ultraviolet light.

Security fibers are another form of security feature in Philippine money that guard against counterfeiting. Genuine security fibers in Philippine banknotes can be easily plucked out (yes, try it!) with the aid of a needle. Counterfeit money usually only prints the fibers on paper, thus , they cannot be plucked out.

Shredded Philippine Money in a Box

Last time we featured shredded Philippine banknotes in plastic bags. I recently found out that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas also packages these in nice plastic containers. This is the description at the back:

"The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is the central monetary authority of the Philippines. Its objective is to maintain price and banking stability. As a monetary manager, it is responsible for
printing Philippine currency notes as well as their issuance and retirement from the system.

As part of its commitment to the preservation of the environment and the conservation of resources, unfit banknotes and production waste are converted to briquettes for recycling purposes.

The box containing this briquette is made of recycled material. This briquette contains about 400 pieces of 100-Piso banknotes with the total face value of P40,000."

Apparently, the box contains an assortment of all banknotes, and not just 100-Piso banknotes as stated. Nevertheless, it is an interesting and colorful souvenir of Philippine paper currency.


UPDATE: I have some shredded 500 peso bills to spare. I can send you some but you will need to pay for freight and packaging costs. Send me an email at the address below if you're interested.

US-Philippines Wilson Dollar - Silver Medal

US-Philippines Wilson Dollar (1920)
Silver Medal

photo courtesy of peggasuss of ebay

Obverse: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson "President of the United States
Reverse: Justice kneeling and watching over a nude youth who is pouring planchets (coin blanks) into a cooling press "Commemorate the opening of the mint", "Manila P.I. 1920"

Mintage: 2,200 pieces (another 3,700 for a bronze version)

This official silver medal was struck at the Manila Mint in July 1920 to commemorate it's opening. The dies were executed by George Morgan.


The Manila Mint

The Manila Mint was a branch of the United States Mint, located in Manila, now the capital city of the Philippines. Since that country became a United States possession after the Spanish-American War, the United States began to produce coinage for the Philippines in 1903 at its San Francisco and Philadelphia mints.

In 1920, the Manila Mint was opened, and was the first (and to date only) U.S. branch mint located outside the Continental United States. It produced coins until 1922 and then again from 1925 to 1941, when the Japanese Empire invaded the Philippines during World War II. The mint was operated under Japanese auspices during the occupation. No U.S. coins were produced at Manila after 1941 due to the occupation and to Philippine independence in 1946, although Philippine coinage did take place at the other U.S. mints in 1944 and 1945. The building housing the mint was destroyed during the retaking of the city in 1944.