Owner Comments:
KM-12 - Culion Leper Colony 1920 20 Centavos - Mintage:10,000
Struck in Aluminum with a diameter of 32.3mm.
McFadden #: 760
Basso #: 232
Shafer #: SL-8
This coin is part of the second series of coins issued for use in the Culion Leper Colony and among the first to be minted at the then new U.S. branch mint in Manila. Like all of the regular issue coins issued by the Manila mint in 1920, they carry no mint mark. The design is essentially the same as that of the first series issued in 1913 by the private firm of Frank & Company in Manila. The obverse is composed of the denomination surrounded by the text "CULION LEPER COLONY" above and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" below. The reverse consists of a rather crude rendering of a Caduceus as the central element surrounded by the words "BUREAU OF HEALTH," two separating stars and the date. All of the reference sources (except McFadden) designate the obverse and reverse this way, but NGC places the reverse facing the front of the holder. I personally prefer the NGC designation, but will go with the majority of reference books for consistency. Like the first series, these coins were also minted in Aluminum, but were ever so slightly increased in diameter from 32 to 32.3mm.
This particular coin is well worn, but unlike most of the Culion Leper Colony coins, it has not been cleaned. An original, uncleaned piece is nice to have regardless of grade.
Varieties: None reported for this date and denomination.
Date acquired: 7/16/2013 (raw coin)
Date graded: 1/27/2014 (self submitted to NGC)
References:
• "United States Territorial Coinage for the Philippine Islands" by Neil Shafer, Whitman Publishing Company Racine, Wisconsin, 1961: 41-45
• "Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines 1728-1974" by Aldo P. Basso, second edition Bookman Printing House, Quezon City, 1975: 76-80
• "The Numismatic Aspects of Leprosy" by R.R. McFadden, J. Grost, and D.F. Marr, D.C. McDonald Associates, Inc., 1993: 58-69
• "Standard Catalog of World Coins" by Krause & Mischler (Identifies coins by their "KM" numbers 1-18 and A5.)
Rev. 12/24/2015