Banknotes: 500 Pesos ADB Overprint

May 2-5, 2012, Manila, Philippines. The 45th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors at ADB (Asian Development Bank). This banknote is the largest denomination in my collection so far. I hope I don't get tempted to take it and spend it when i am tight on the budget. So far its safely kept in my banknote album, away from me.

2012 500 Peso 45th Annual Meeting ADB Overprint
"Manila 2012"
"45th Annual Meeting of the"
"BOARD OF GOVERNORS"
"Asian Development Bank"
"Manila, Philippines 2-5 May 2012"

I don't recall exactly how I got this, but I think its from my change when I did my grocery last month. 10 million of these were printed so it shouldn't be that hard to find one in circulation.

Enjoy!

Mountaineering TIPS: Compilation 0

A compilation of the mountaineering tips i have posted in Facebook.

• Mountaineering TIPS: Instead of using a really fancy backpack liner to keep your stuff dry, use a thick gauge garbage bag. Keep your stuff dry and your money in your pocket.

• Mountaineering TIPS: Before embarking on a hike, make sure you know where the water sources are along the trail. If there are a lot of water sources along the way, you can get away with carrying just 1 liter and filling up as you get to the next water source. If water is scarce, you may need to carry at least 3 liters.

• Mountaineering TIPS: For overnighters or weekend hikes, you can get away with just 2 sets of clothes. 1) your hike clothes, 2) your dry clothes for sleeping. This way, you wont be lugging too many clothes. It is important to keep your 2nd set very dry. As for the first set, you can dry them while sleeping at night then wear them again the next morning as you continue your trek. For extended hikes, you may need to wash your hike clothes while in camp to remove nasty smells.

• Mountaineering TIPS: For a lightweight water storage, use a 1L mineral water bottle or any plastic, resealable pet bottle. Its lighter than your average water bottle and is sturdy enough to withstand a few bumps and falls. Buy a liter of water before you travel to the trail and keep the bottle. You can reuse it many times for water storage. Its disposable if you don't need it anymore after the trek, but remember to dispose of it properly.

• Mountaineering TIPS: As much as possible, avoid wearing clothes made of cotton while trekking. Cotton is very absorbent and very hard to dry on the trail once it gets wet. Get clothes made of polyester because they dry fairly quickly and they don't smell as bad as cotton when wet. For pants, avoid denim. They are heavy and they will weigh you down especially when they get wet. You can get away with using polyester jogging pants for hiking.

• Mountaineering TIPS: If there is one gear you need to invest in, its footwear. For our ancestors, foot gear was not a problem, but for the modern man, to go trekking without a specialized footwear would mean hell. Our shoes protect our delicate feet and allow us to trek for extended periods of time. Choosing a trekking shoe depends on your preference, but make sure you get one from a reputable company. When purchasing, it is advisable to buy your shoes in the afternoon because your feet will expand a bit as you go through the day standing around or walking around. Buying your shoes in the afternoon will give you a a true fit for you shoes. Also, bring your hiking socks that you intend to use with the shoes. You may consider the following type of footwear.
• 1) Hiking sandals are the lightest and cheapest, but offer the least protection.
• 2) Trail runners and Ultralight trekkers. They are a bit expensive, but are very light and offer some protection for your feet. If you are an ultralight hiker who wants feet protection, these may be for you.
• 3) Mid-cut trekking shoes. These are more bulky and expensive. They offer great protection and great traction for any tropical terrain. In the Philippines, these are the most popular type of mountaineering shoes and you will often see Filipino mountaineers wearing this type.
• 4) Boots. These offer the most protection for your feet, but are the heaviest and most expensive of the types discussed here. These offer great ankle protection and will allow you to carry heavier loads at longer distances with minimal risk of ankle injury.

In the end, the preference for footwear will be up to you. Get one that is durable, reliable, and one that you can afford.

Coin Collection: Philippines New BSP Series Coins

The coins currently in circulation here in the Philippines ranges from 1 Sentimo to 10 Piso. All coins except for the 10 Piso were originally minted in 1995. The 10 Piso was minted in 2000 and is also a commemorative coin for the New Millennium. I have assembled the series with coins from the original minting years except for the 1 Sentimo. I may have been able to keep a 1995 1 Sentimo, but i currently don't have one in my album. I have yet to collate all the coins I have collected and kept into 1 album. For now, enjoy the current series coins of the Philippines.

2005 1 SENTIMO
OBVERSE:
"REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS"
"1 SENTIMO 2005"
Metal: Copper Plated Steel

2005 1 SENTIMO
REVERSE:
"BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS"
BSP LOGO
1993
1993 is not the mintage year, its the year when BSP changed their logo.
Minting of this coin stopped in 2009

1995 5 SENTIMO
OBVERSE:
"REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS"
"5 SENTIMO 1995"
Metal: Copper Plated Steel

1995 5 SENTIMO
REVERSE:
"BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS"
NO BSP LOGO
1993
1993 is not the mintage year, its the year when BSP changed their logo.
This is the only Philippine coin with a hole and there is no BSP logo.
The amount of metal in this coin is reportedly less than what is used in the 1 Sentimo because of the hole.

1995 10 SENTIMO
OBVERSE:
"REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS"
"10 SENTIMO 1995"
Metal: Copper Plated Steel

1995 10 SENTIMO
REVERSE:
"BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS"
BSP LOGO
1993
1993 is not the mintage year, its the year when BSP changed their logo.

1995 25 SENTIMO
OBVERSE:
"REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS"
"25 SENTIMO 1995"
Coins minted from 1995 to 2003 were made of brass.
From 2004 to the present, it is made of brass plated steel.

1995 25 SENTIMO
REVERSE:
"BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS"
BSP LOGO
1993
1993 is not the mintage year, its the year when BSP changed their logo.
You will notice that this particular coins reverse side is rather tilted at an angle.
It may have been an error during the minting. I have never seen one that has a very obvious tilt as this. 

1995 1 PISO
OBVERSE:
"REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS"
"1 PISO"
"JOSE RIZAL"
1995
Coins minted from 1995 to 2003 were made of copper-nickel.
From 2004 to the present, it is made of nickel plated steel.

1995 1 PISO
REVERSE:
"BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS"
BSP LOGO
1993
1993 is not the mintage year, its the year when BSP changed their logo.
Its rather difficult to find a pristine 1 Piso coin from 1995 since this is the most circulated coin of the series.

1995 5 PISO
OBVERSE:
"REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS"
"5 PISO"
"EMILIO AGUINALDO"
1995
Metal: Nickel Brass

1995 5 PISO
REVERSE:
"BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS"
BSP LOGO
1993
1993 is not the mintage year, its the year when BSP changed their logo.
Both sides of the coin feature a scalloped border.
I posted an interesting trivia about this coin here.

2000 10 PISO
OBVERSE:
"REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS"
"10 PISO"
"APOLINARIO MABINI"
"ANDRES BONIFACIO"
2000
Metal: Bi-Metallic Aluminium-bronze center in Copper-nickel ring
Year 2000 10 Piso coins are commemorative coins for the New Millennium.

2000 10 PISO
REVERSE:
"BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS"
BSP LOGO
1993
1993 is not the mintage year, its the year when BSP changed their logo.
This is the first bi-metallic coin of the Philippines.
It was rumored that the center of this coin contained gold. Especially the ones minted in 2000 and 2001.
This is, however, just a rumor and BSP has denied any gold content in this coin.

These coins remain legal tender here in the Philippines, but the 1, 5, and 10 Sentimo coins are only accepted in Banks and shopping malls. It was suggested that the Sentimo denomination be demonetized and have the 1 Piso as the smallest denomination. The government has not made any action to demonetize the Sentimo yet. I came across some news that BSP is planning to make a new series of coins by 2014. If this is true, I have to find a way to get my hands on the new series as soon as they come out of the mint. This is exciting!

Enjoy!

Coin Collection: Phil-Am Commonwealth Coins

In 1937, the The Philippine American Commonwealth was well underway. A new set of coins were minted to replace the American Sovereignty coins. These coins, first minted in 1937, were considered unattractive, but like its predecessors, some of the coins contained silver. Nowadays, silver coins are limited to proof coins and collection set coins and not meant for circulation. These however were regular circulation coins yet were part silver. These were minted until 1945 and were replaced by the English Series coins in 1958. However no coins were minted in the years 1942 and 1943 because that was when the war broke out and I think we, The Philippine Islands, were then occupied by the Japanese at the time.

1944(s) 1 Centavo Coin
Obverse:
Man with a hammer sitting by an anvil with Mt Mayon in the background.
"ONE CENTAVO" "FILIPINAS"
Metal:  Bronze

1944(s) 1 Centavo Coin
Reverse:
Phil-Am Commonwealth coat of arms
"UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
s 1944
Minted in San Francisco, USA

1937 5 Centavo Coin
Obverse:Man with a hammer sitting by an anvil with Mt Mayon in the background.
"FIVE CENTAVOS" "FILIPINAS"
Metal: Copper-Nickel
TRIVIA:
There were 2 metal types for this coin.
First, from 1937 to 1941. Coins from these years were minted in Manila and made from Copper-Nickel.
Second, from 1944 to 1945. Coins from these years were minted in the US.
These were made from copper-nickel-zinc.

1937 5 Centavo Coin
Reverse:
Phil-Am Commonwealth coat of arms
"UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
1937
This is the oldest Philippine coin in my collection so far.

1945(D) 10 Centavo Coin
Obverse:
Lady Liberty striking an anvil with Mt Mayon in the background.
"TEN CENTAVOS" "FILIPINAS"
Metal:  Silver (.750)

1945 (D) 10 Centavo Coin
Reverse:
Phil-Am Commonwealth coat of arms
"UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
D 1945
Coins from 1937 to 1941 were minted in Manila.
1944 to 1945 coins were minted in Denver, USA.

1944(D) 20 Centavo Coin
Obverse:
Lady Liberty striking an anvil with Mt Mayon in the background.
"TWENTY CENTAVOS" "FILIPINAS"
Metal:  Silver (.750)

1944(D) 20 Centavo Coin
Reverse:
Phil-Am Commonwealth coat of arms
"UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
D 1944
Coins from 1937 to 1941 were minted in Manila.
1944 to 1945 coins were minted in Denver, USA.

There is one coin missing from this series and that is the Fifty Centavo coin. I posted a blog about it here.

My Cousin owns this one.

It is quite difficult to find coins from 1937. They are either in really bad shape or rather expensive in fine condition and even more expensive in UNC (uncirculated) condition. For now i am satisfied that at least i have almost completed the Philippine Commonwealth coins. Now lets see if someone is willing to donate a coin to complete this series. :P

A better close up view of the 1 Centavo coin. I have 4 of these.

These coins have a dark patina to them, They are well worn, but most details still show.

Enjoy!

Coin Collection: 1997 5 Peso Coin (BSP)

A few posts back, I posted a trivia about the Philippines 5 Peso coins minted 1997 and 1998. Most of the coins from these years were minted in the Royal Canadian Mint. However, some were also minted here in the Philippines.

A friend of mine dared me to look for one that was made locally, and since the 5 peso coin is currently in circulation, it didn't take long for me to find one. Worthy, here is proof that Manila Mint made 5 Peso coins in 1997.

5 Piso PHILIPPINES
Notice the mint mark of BSP below Emilio Aguinaldo's shoulder.

My friends and I had dinner at McDonald's and I was fortunate to find this coin in my change. Only thing left is to wait for a 1998 to turn up in my change.

Enjoy!

Coin Collection: People Power Revolution Commemorative Coin

The people of the Philippines know very well the story of the People Power Revolution or EDSA revolution. The movement that ended the dictatorship of the former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. To commemorate this event, the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas minted a one of a kind coin in 1988. Its a large, rather thick, coin made of pure nickel. I'm a proud owner of this coin. This was given to me back in college. Back then it was a beautiful coin, someone played around with it and dropped the thing. It has a rather ugly dent on its edge, but the coin remains uncirculated and its one of the coins i have that i am sure is UNC grade.

OBVERSE

Symbolisms of prayer, courage, and love

Lettering:

PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION

PHILIPPINES FEBRUARY 22-25, 1986

See the dent on the lower left edge of the coin?

REVERSE
Seal of the Republic of the Philippines
Lettering:
REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS
10 Piso

According to the site http://en.numista.com, the rarity index for this coin is 74 on a scale of 0 to 100 where 0 is very common and 100 is very rare making this coin rather rare.

This coin commemorates the courage of the Filipino People who fought against tyranny and injustice. When liberty is threatened, the people are always ready to fight and defend that freedom. This revolution is one of a kind in that it was a non violent revolt against the Marcos regime.

Enjoy!