The 1894 One Centavo of Alfonso XIII

This very rare Spanish-Philippine coin was sold for 15, 500 euros as lot 1083 in the December auction of Cayon Numismatica and is considered as one of the most elusive coins of Philippine numismatic. The coins of one and two cents of weight, minted in Madrid at the hands of Bartolomé Maura, were made by order of 15 December 1893. The Decree refers to "lack of copper currency adjusted to the legal system" which encourages coining full retail. Shall be "the new pieces of copper one and two cents of weight, equivalent, as the silver 10 and 20 cents, which circulate in the Peninsula (...) Most all of these fractional coins will be legal tender...

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1762 One Real with F70 counterstamp: A Unique Specimen Of Counterstamped Minor Coins

Counterstamped minor coin is one of the hardest to acquire in the hobby of collecting counterstamp coins.  Dr. Pablo De Jesus and Dr. Fortirch have listed counterstamped minor coins among the top variety of counterstamp coins that are hard to come by in the market.  Among the four (4) denominations other than 8 reales, only three (3) namely: four (4) reales, two (2) reales, and one (1) real counterstamped coins have appeared in the market since the collecting began in the early days of the 20th century in the Philippines.  Among them, only the four (4) and two (2) reales have been documented to bear both King Ferdinand VII and...

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Holy Week Special: The Sacred Money Part II

Holy week or “Mahal na Araw” as we call it, is a very special occasion among Filipino Christians as we recall and dramatize the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Among the traditions that we inherited from the Spaniards is the “pabasa” as a unique practice among the local Christians where the “Passion of Christ” is sang rather than read for the whole day within a week. Famous it is that even our colonizer admires such practice. This is also a special occasion among the practitioners of witchcraft, faith healing, and holders of talisman as they re-energized their powers and learn more from their peers thru gatherings or conventions that are especially held every Good Friday of the Lenten season. As a numismatist and historian, talisman or anting-anting amulet never fails to amaze me because...

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Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2011 Baltimore Auction Features 5,100+ US Coin, Currency and Exonumia Lots

Stack’s Bowers Galleries will conduct the official auction of the March 2011 Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo. The premiere event conducted under the Stack’s Bowers Galleries banner by the newly merged Stack’s and Bowers and Merena Auctions, the March 2011 Baltimore Auction continues the tradition and success of America’s most prestigious numismatic auctioneers. The 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50 Octagonal, MS-64 (PCGS) and 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition $50 Round, MS-63 (PCGS) are two of many highlights in Stack's Bowers Galleries 2011 Baltimore Auction which features more than 5,100 US coin, currency and exonumia...

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PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club Now Includes 235 Coins Valued at $500+ Million

The second annual PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club reference guide has been unveiled by Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com). At an estimated $20 million, the historic 1849 Double Eagle is the highest valued coin in the 2011 list of the PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club. (Photo credit: Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.) Originally launched in January 2010 with 210 "charter member" United States rare coins valued by experts at $1 million or more each, the "club" now has grown to include 235 coins with a combined value of over a half billion dollars. Some individual coins have jumped in estimated value as much...

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Heritage February 2011 Long Beach US Coin Auction Realizes $8.596M

Collectors put particular emphasis on acquiring high-grade Saint-Gaudens coinage in Heritage’s $8.596 million Long Beach Signature® U.S. Coin Auction, February 5-6, 2011, at the Long Beach Convention Center. This 1921 Saint-Gaudens $20 MS62 NGC realized $126,500 at the Heritage February 2011 Long Beach US Coin Auction. The auction saw a 94% sell-through rate by value and 97% sell-through rate by lot. All prices below include 15% Buyer’s Premium. "I think steady and solid is the best way to categorize the results," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. "Not spectacular, but about what we expected, with a little more on top....

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Rare coin could get more than $2M at an auction

CINCINNATI – The coin world is abuzz over the auction of a rare silver dollar, one of the most valuable in the world and one of only 15 known to exist from a never-circulated group made for the likes of the King of Siam and the Sultan of Muscat.The 1804 Adams-Carter silver dollar fetched more than $2 million in a private sale two years ago and is expected to top that again this week. The coin has been owned by a Boston banker, a Texas publishing mogul and by a collector who sold everything to help build a church school in Ohio.The auction is a major happening for collectors — even ones who can't afford the expected price tag — partly because...

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The La Bella Filipina Token & The Manila Carnival

The Philippines has been one of the patrons of beauty contests since the United States forces arrived on the archipelago. Fiestas or town festivities were usually celebrated at the beginning of summer and before the rainy season to thank the bountiful harvests. During the "Peace Time" or the era between the birth of American governance and the invasion of Japanese Imperial Army, one particular event embodied the whole period. It was the famous "Manila Carnival". The carnivals have been held at the old Wallace Field or Bagumabayan(now known as the Luneta). It would last for two weeks and culminates with the coronation of the “Queen” just before...

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The 1884 Alfonso VII 10 Centavos Mated Pair Capped Dies

Error coins from the Spanish period are hard to come by and most of those that survived times are not in better condition. One collector explained to me that after he discovered a hoard of Spanish-Philippine coins, he noticed that there were varieties of 1880 Fifty Centavos of the Alfonso VII reign. He uncovered a specimen which has a different design on the reverse, particularly the crown’s pearls and the columns on its sides. “At the same time, those were the first time we saw varieties such as double dates like 1885 over 3, 1880 over 1, and errors such as die rotation is some denomination particularly the 50 and 20 centavos.” He added.In...

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1918-S 5 Centavo Mule, 1908 Proof Set, 1882 4 Peso Alfonso XII offered at Stack's

1918-S 5 Centavo MuleJanuary 09, 2009 - Stack's, a New York based Numismatic & Antiquities dealer conducted an auction that included United States & Philippine coins belonging to the Golden Horn Collection. The Golden Horn Collection is composed of magnificent coins from the Ancient Civilization such as Greece and Rome, Medieval & Imperial Russia, Danzig & Polish Ducats, German States Talers, English Medieval & Imperial crowns, Irish coins, Italian & Liechtenstein, Spanish Netherlands, Swedish, Turkish & Ottoman Empire, India Mughal, Iran, Imperial Japan, Vietnam, Bermuda, Spanish South American crowns, Canada and...

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The 1972 Marcelo H. Del Pilar 50 Centavos Trial Piece in Copper

The 1972 Marcelo H. De Pilar Trial Strike in CopperDuring the introduction of the new coins and the second term of then president Ferdinand Marcos in 1966, several pattern coins were created by then prominent medal designer and a former member of the Philippine Numismatic & Antiquarian Society (PNAS), Jose Tupaz Jr. Among the known varieties by Jose Tupaz, Jr. were coins which featured the first couple heads, the former president, the pope & the former president, and the national hero Juan Luna, which surprisingly, was the only hero included in the project. The patterns were later refined and the official coin set was released in 1967,...

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Philippine Bullion Report: Demand in Gold and Silver Coins up

The "doom and gloom" predictions of many respected economic analysts caused a surge in demand for bullion coins. Even though the precious metal futures show that the figure is fluctuating. Some mints have already suspended selling their inventories, including the bullion coins from the United States.Basically, bullion coins have been proven effective as a street smart safe haven investment against inflation. The collapse of some of the bright economies around the globe triggered a panic buying that some people have already diverted their cash to solid investments such as bullion coins.Meanwhile in Europe, retirees instead of waiting for...

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Unexplainable Error, Explained Part 2: Triple Date & Triple Denomination

1, 5, and 10 centavos (Triple Denomination & Triple Dated)I already featured a unique 10 centavos ERROR in a previous article on this site. It’s a combination of impossible sequence of error that a simple explanation cannot be satisfied by the coin itself. On this issue, the same kind of sequence of errors again appeared in the 5-centavos denomination. It appears that the coin was first struck in 1966 and then the following year of 1967. Surprisingly, the coin was struck using only both reverses, the first one came from the regular issue from the last REPUBLIC coin dating 1966, and the second one from the 1967 of the first PILIPINO series.Yet...

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Unexplainable Errors Explained Part 1: 1918-S 50 Centavos Bronze

1918-S FIFTY CENTAVOS struck in bronze planchetIt was a year ago when I encountered a 1918 Twenty Centavos US-Philippine coin struck in brass which I found just lying in a dealers hoard of ordinary dated coins. The coin was in FINE condition but the details on the shield were enough for me to conclude that such was an error. I asked the dealer how much the coin was but to my surprised he told me that I could have it for free since it’s a counterfeit coin based on his opinion. He even compared it to the ordinary coin of the same date by putting both on top of the weighing scale and it did show the difference. The brass coin weighs more than...

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The 1910 S Ten Centavos: Truth or Dare!

The 1910 San Francisco Mint Ten CentavosIt had been more than two decades since the 1910 San Francisco Mint Ten Centavos was published that if somebody would have found it, the collector would have paid a great sum to have the fabled coin. The 1910 S is one of the famous numismatic pieces that had a very colorful background. Almost a century and there is still no confirmed and graded specimen had ever surfaced except for those 1918 S that were with altered dates to look like the 1910 S. Luckily, I was able to meet the person who claimed that he possesses the most intriguing coin in Philippine numismatic history. He don’t want to tell his...

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The 1903 – S One Centavo: An Accidental Discovery

It was another Sunday morning and I was preparing to attend the Bayanihan Auction last February 19, 2006. As usual, I got-up that early morning, reviewed the auction catalogue, blocked-out the items I am interested which I usually do using highlighters before I set off to the auction venue. Every auction day for me is a thrilling adventure because this is the only chance you could see some rarities, touch it, review it, and otherwise purchase it defending on how much you are willing to spend or if you really have the money to compete and win the bid. As for me, I usually carry just enough money to satisfy my interest add some missing coins or either replace the poorer grade coins that I have of my USPI (United States and Philippine Island) collection. I usually concentrate with this era...

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