See the evolution of the Philippine peso through this type set view (by denomination) covering 1903-1966.
From 1967, under the Republic of the Philippines coinage changed from peso to piso and fractional coins from centavos to sentimo. This section will focus on type sets for the Philippine peso and centavo. For the years 1967 onward, you should take a look at the Evolution of the Philippine piso article.
In 1935 the Philippines became part of the U.S. Commonwealth, rather than being a U.S. Territory. As such coins were changed to feature the Commonwealth Arms instead of the U.S. Territories Arms on the reverse. Coins from 1958 onwards feature the Seal of the Philippines on the reverse.
Note: All coins are depicted at the same scale so you can see their relative size variations.
1/2 Centavo
Circulated coins were minted in 1903 and 1904 and limited proof coins were minted in all years from 1903-1908 (except 1907). The half centavo coin had a short lifespan and was no longer produced after 1908, making this a very small type set. The Spanish did produce coins in the early 1800’s in 1/2 Real (2 Quartos) but the half centavo is the only “fraction of a cent” coin produced for the Philippines in the 20th and 21st centuries. In today’s terms a half peso coin would be roughly equivalent to 1/10th of US cent in face value.
Coin Image | Notes |
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![]() | Catalog Code: KM 162 Mintage Years: 1903-1908 |
1 Centavo
You will notice the considerable size difference after 1958 as coins were reduced in size to save on raw materials.
Coin Image | Notes |
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![]() | Catalog Code: KM 163 Mintage Years: 1903-1936 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 179 Mintage Years: 1937-1944 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 186 Mintage Years: 1958-1963 |
5 Centavos
Coins from 1958 onwards feature the Seal of the Philippines on the reverse.
Coin Image | Notes |
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![]() | Catalog Code: KM 164 Mintage Years: 1903-1928 |
KM 173 not in collection | Catalog Code: KM 173 Mintage Years: 1918 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 175 Mintage Years: 1930-1935 |
KM 180 not in collection | Catalog Code: KM180 Mintage Years: 1937-1941 |
KM 180a not in collection | Catalog Code: KM180a Mintage Years: 1944-1945 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 187 Mintage Years: 1958-1966 |
10 Centavos
10 centavos coins up to 1945 contained .750 silver content.
Coin Image | Notes |
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![]() | Catalog Code: KM 165 Mintage Years: 1903-1906 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 169 Mintage Years: 1907-1935 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM181 Mintage Years: 1937-1945 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 188 Mintage Years: 1958-1966 |
20 Centavos
20 centavos coins up to 1945 contained .750 silver content. Of interest in this set is KM174 – a deliberate mule coin struck in Manila to solve a shortage of coins at the time. You can read more about the KM174 20 centavos mule coin in this blog post.
Coin Image | Notes |
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![]() | Catalog Code: KM 166 Mintage Years: 1903-1906 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 170 Mintage Years: 1907-1928 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 174 (MULE) Mintage Years: 1928 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM182 Mintage Years: 1937-1945 |
25 Centavos
KM189.1 uses an older die and 8 smoke rings coming from the volcano. KM189.2 with the newer die has six smoke rings coming from the volcano.
Coin Image | Notes |
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![]() | Catalog Code: KM 189.1 Mintage Years: 1958-1966 DIE #1 – 8 smoke rings |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 189.2 Mintage Years: 1966-1966 DIE #2 – 6 smoke rings |
50 Centavos
Coins from 1958 onwards feature the Seal of the Philippines on the reverse. 1903-1906 coins contain .900 silver while coins from 1907 to 1921 onwards were reduced to .800 silver content.
1 Peso
Coins from 1958 onwards feature the Seal of the Philippines on the reverse. 1903-1906 peso coins contain .900 silver while coins from 1907 onwards were reduced to .800 silver content – making the 1903-1906 coins more sought after among collectors.
Coin Image | Notes |
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KM 168 not in collection | Catalog Code: KM 168 Mintage Years: 1903-1906 |
![]() | Catalog Code: KM 172 Mintage Years: 1907-1912 |