Owner Comments:
Mintage: 1,421,000
Composition: Copper-Nickel (75% Copper, 25% Nickel)
Weight: 5.2500 grams (77.16 Grains)
Diameter: 21.3 mm
Mint Mark: None
When the Manila Mint opened in July 1920 it took over production of Five Centavo coins for the U.S. Territory of the Philippines. Prior to that time Five Centavo coins had been manufactured in the continental United States at either the Philadelphia or San Francisco Mints and transported to the Philippines.
The Five Centavos struck at the Manila Mint in 1920 and 1921 used the same obverse and reverse designs as the 1903 - 1919 Five Centavos and were struck to the same specifications. A notable feature of the 1920(M) and 1921(M) Five Centavos is that they have no Mint Mark.
The obverse design by Melicio Figueroa features a young Filipino male seated next to an anvil holding a hammer in his right hand, his left arm raised, and in the background to his left is a billowing volcano. The reverse design, also by Melicio Figueroa, depicts an eagle with spread wings perched atop an American shield.
PCGS Population 10/5
NGC Population 2/1
Combined NGC/PCGS Population 12/6 (12/01/2013)