The United States Manila Mint: A Type Set of the Coins & Medals of America's Forgotten Mint
Five Centavos Reduced Size/Weight, 1930-1935

Owner Comments:

Mintage: 2,905,000
Catalog: KM-175
Composition: Copper-Nickel
Weight: 4.7500g
Diameter: 19mm

The obverse and reverse designs of the 1930 through 1935 (reduced size and weight) Five Centavos is the same as the 1903 through 1928 Five Centavos.

In 1907 a rise in the price of silver forced the reduction of the fineness and weight for all Philippine silver issues. The reduced size Twenty Centavos coins of 1907 - 1929 had a diameter of 21mm and were easily confused with the 21.3 mm Five Centavos of 1903 through 1928. This confusion resulted in a mismatching of dies for these two denominations in 1918 and again in 1928. A solution was found by reducing the diameter of the Five Centavos coin to 19 mm beginning in 1930. The reduced size and weight Five Centavos were made at the Manila Mint from 1930 through 1932, and again in 1934 and 1935.

In war time nickel and copper are strategic materials critical to a nations war effort. During the WWII Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1942 -1945) many pre-war Five Centavos were collected melted down and sent back to Japan

This specimen is a lightly toned Gem with a distinctive appearance. From The Collection of Dr. Roger R. McFadden.

NGC Population: 3/0
PCGS Population: 7/1
Combined NGC/PCGS Population: 10/1