Anybody got some info on the background on this coin? My internet searches don't reveal much about it other than it was a commem and issued as part of a set. Jhinton? You out there?
The 1947-S Peso ( Mintage 100,000) and fifty Centavo ( Mintage 200,000) Were the first coins struck for the newly independent republic of the Philippines. General MacArthur was (and still is I hear) a hero to the philippine people for his part in defending and later liberating the islands from the Japanese. (My mitages might not be correct as I do not have my book with me, but I am fairly certain they are.) While these coins are not in the 1903-1945 time frame that I collect, they are usually included in the set due to the nature. They are commemorative coins, and no doubt many sets were put together and sold, but I do not recall how they were initially distributed. The only book that I know of that covers these coins is "Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines 1728-1974" by Aldo P. Basso. I have a copy but not with me. If I can remember, I will update this thread when I return to the states with any additional information from the book. If I recall, you are putting a set of commemoratives together and I am assuming that is why you asked about this coin. If you want your set to be complete, you should also include the 1936-M commemorative coinage. To my knowledge they are the only commemorative coins minted outside of the continental United States. The set contains two pesos and one fifty centavo, all of .900 silver. 1936-M Murphy-Quezon Fifty Centavo, Mintage 20,000 1936-M Roosevelt-Quezon Peso, Mintage 10,000 1936-M Murphy-Quezon Peso, Mintage 10,000 Manuel Quezon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_L._Quezon was the commonwealth president at the time, Franklin Roosevelt was the president of the united states and Frank Murphy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Murphy was the U.S. governor General and high commissioner. These coins were sold in sets for the small price of $3.13 each but sold poorly. Most of the mintage was later dumped in the Manila bay in an attempt to keep the silver out of the hands of the Japanese. MS graded coins can be quite expensive but sea salvaged ones are readily available, though usually not worth collecting. Also: The MacArthur coins are normally poorly struck. If you find a well struck example, buy it! You will more than likely never find another. Toned examples are not uncommon as the coins were often packaged into little plastic displays with cardboard holders. However, attractive toning is another story; I have seen few that I would consider attractively toned. Most have a heavy black toning or they are blast white (due to someone removing the ugly black toning). You can find these sets on Ebay quite frequently.
There are also some commemorative medals from the Philippines known as "Wilson Dollars". They are generally referred to as "So-called dollars". While I do not think that is a proper classification... I am glad that some people recognize them besides the regular philippine collectors. To save myself some time, I am just going to link an article about them http://www.michigancoinclub.org/Bieda_Wilson.html It is believed that there were more than five gold examples minted, though I have never done any personal research to verify this claim.
Thanks for the response and info Jhinton.......most appreciated indeed. I saw this piece in the junk bin of an antique shop in Unadilla NY last week, found it curious (never seen one) and decided to pick it up. I figured the Red Book would have some info on it but when I looked (1965 edition) I couldn't find anything. When I returned home I again looked in the Red Book (2012 edition) and still nothing. Internet searches provided little so I do again offer my thanks. I'm getting conflicting reports with regard to the metal content of this piece. Is it 80% or 90% silver?
I am almost certain they are 90% but I can't prove it at the moment. They would not be in the red book as they are not considered US coins. Unlike the 1903-1945 issues, these coins were struck after the Philippines were no longer part of the US. After further thought, they may indeed be 80%. The Philippine pesos were reduced to .800 starting in 1907, they may have minted these coins to the same specifications. I will send off a few emails and see what I come up with.
Great information on some of the best looking coinage ever minted. jmo Here's a bust of General MacArthur I sold on ebay awhile back, I am not near my coins so I can't take any pics of them but I have a few Philippine coins as well. There are still many collectors or anything MacArthur as he was very much loved by the people of the Philippines and surrounding areas as well as the people here in the US. :thumb:
