Owner Comments:
This is the first one-peso coin specially made for the Culion Leper Colony. It was struck in 1913 by a private manufacturing firm named Frank & Company in Manila, using aluminum planchets.
The obverse shows the coin's denomination on the center--a large number "1" and "PESO" below it. Around the coin are the words "CULION LEPER COLONY" on top, and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" at the bottom.
The reverse bears the caduceus symbol surrounded on the outer rim by the words "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and the coin's date, "1913" on the bottom. A pair of stars separates the inscriptions.
There are varieties for this coin, as identified by numismatic experts Aldo Basso and Roger McFadden (and Krause & Mischler, of course): Two struck on thick planchets and one on a thin planchet.
The first type is on a 2mm thick planchet and the letter "P" in "PESO" is positioned over the third letter "I" of the word "PHILIPPINES". Additionally, the words around the coin are spaced near the stars.
The second type is on a 1.5 mm thin planchet. Similar to Type I, the letter "P" in "PESO" is positioned over the third letter "I" of the word "PHILIPPINES". Legend spacing is also the same.
The third type is also on a 2mm thick planchet but this time, the letter "P" in "PESO" is positioned over the third "P" in "PHILIPPINES". Another difference is that the words around the coin are spaced farther from the stars.
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This is a Type I coin which has seen better days but it is still an enticing scarce example. I acquired this coin raw and had it graded.
⚙️ Coin Specifications and Information
Composition: Aluminum
Weight: 3.66 gm
Diameter: 35.4 mm
Edge: Plain
Alignment: ⬆️ ⬇️
Mintage: 8,600
KM# 14
📆 This Year In Philippine History
On October 6, 1913, Francis Burton Harrison assumed office as American governor-general of the Philippines. He stayed in office until 1921. A vigorous anti-imperialist and opponent of "Dollar Diplomacy", Harrison was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson, and was tasked to ameliorate the United States governance of the Philippines.
Harrison declared the Democratic Party's intention to seek independence for the Philippines and locally introduced a number of reforms that brought more Filipinos into responsible administrative positions and added other elements of self-government.
After the defeat of the Democratic Party in the United States in 1920, Harrison lived outside the US, on an estate in Scotland and at resorts on the Mediterranean. In 1935, Harrison returned to the Philippines and became a "presidential adviser" of President Manuel L. Quezon and served the Philippine government-in-exile in Washington, D.C., during World War II. After the war, he again served as special adviser to the first three presidents of the independent Republic of the Philippines.
He wrote Cornerstone of Philippine Independence in 1922 and, the Origins of the Philippine Republic: Extracts from the Diaries and Records of Francis Burton Harrison published in 1974.
In his last years, 1950 to 1956, Harrison and his sixth wife lived secluded in Spain. Harrison died on November 21, 1957 at Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township near Flemington, New Jersey. He willed that he be buried in the Philippines so his corpse was shipped back from the United States. He was given state funeral and was interred in the Manila North Cemetery in La Loma, Manila.
Harrison was born Dec. 18, 1873, in New York City into a wealthy and prominent family. His father was a successful New York lawyer who had been a private secretary to Jefferson Davis, and his mother was a well-known Virginia-born novelist.
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📖 Information sources:
Basso, A. (1975). Coins, Medals, and Tokens of the Philippines 1728 - 1974 (2nd Edition). Bookman Printing House. page 77
McFadden, R. R., Marr, D. F., & Grost, J. (1993). The Numismatic Aspects of Leprosy: Money, Medals, and Miscellanea. McDonald Publishing Company.
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, June 2). Sheldon coin grading scale. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:30, September 5, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sheldon_coin_grading_scale&oldid=960391269
NGC, World Coin Price Guide, Philippines Coin Price Guide (Powered by NumisMaster), Retrieved 19:10, September 6, 2021, from https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/philippines-culion-island-peso-km-14-1913-cuid-1085809-duid-1520222
Numista Exonumia Catalog. Exonumia from Philippines. Retrieved 19:15, September 6, 2021, from https://en.numista.com/catalogue/exonumia21628.html
Philippine Coin Catalog. Culion Leper Colony Coins. Retreived 23:08, October 1, 2022, from https://www.numismatics.ph/coins/culion-leper-colony/1913-1-peso-thin.html
Today in Philippine History, October 6, 1913, Harrison assumed office as American governor-general of the Philippines. Rereived 18:10, October 8, 2022 from https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/665/today-in-philippine-history-october-6-1913-harrison-assumed-office-as-american-governor-general-of-the-philippines