Owner Comments:
Lyman Allen #8.11 (KM #169) - Mintage: 450,000 (net 449,775)
General
All of the 1915 10 Centavo coins were struck early in the calendar year with 240,000 in January, and the remaining 210,000 struck in February. Of the total number of pieces struck, 225 were reserved for analysis by the Assay Commission in 1916, leaving a net of 449,775 to be sent to the Philippines. As in 1914, the limiting factor on total mintage of silver coinage was the amount of reclaimed silver available, even though demand for new silver coinage was increasing. World War I was taxing the U.S. Mints and they were being tasked to strike coinage for other countries and meet the increased demand for circulating U.S. coinage of all denominations. The Philippine treasury reserve of ten centavo coins was declining, but there simply was not enough reclaimed Philippine silver available at the San Francisco mint to strike more coins for the Philippines. Silver reserves were so tight at the mint that ten centavos coins weren't even struck in 1916 even though demand in the islands were high for small silver coinage. The crisis point would be reached in 1917.
Based on the die life tables found in the 1915 U.S. Mint Annual Report, one can estimate (with reasonable accuracy) the number of dies used to strike these coins:
| Die Type | Average Coins per die | Estimated Number of Dies |
|---|
| Obverse | 46,412 | 10 |
| Reverse | 30,941 | 15 |
| Total | | 25 |
From the table above, it can be seen that the obverse dies lasted significantly longer than the reverse dies for the 10 Centavo coins stuck in 1915. In contrast, an equal number of obverse and reverse dies were used to strike the 20 Centavos and One Centavo coins. Given this disparity of die life, the die marriages for the 1915 10 Centavos could be quite varied.
Varieties
ALLEN-8.11 - Normal date. (this coin)
ALLEN-8.11a - Repunched mint mark.
This Coin
Given the relatively low mintage, and the equally low number of coins struck per die, it is surprising to see the amount of die deterioration on this particular coin. There is a significant cud just above the F in FILIPINAS on the obverse, and a die crack emanating from the eagle's right wing to the denticles on the reverse. This coin must have been struck near the end of the lives of this particular pair of dies. In spite of it's obvious die flaws, this coin was otherwise reasonably well struck and exhibits only light wear from circulation. It is very pleasing, lightly circulated example of this rare U.S. Philippine issue.
Date acquired: 9/18/2016 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 10/12/2017 (Self submitted to NGC)
References- Government Printing Office.(1916) Annual Report of the Director of the Mint for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1916, p.276
- The Numismatist. (1915) Coinage for January 1915 - The Numismatist, XXVII(3), p 95
- The Numismatist. (1915) Coinage for February 1915 - The Numismatist, XXVII (4), p138.
Rev. 9/29/2019