Coin Collection: Philippines English Series Coins

In 1958, a new set of coins was introduced by the Central Bank of The Philippines to replace the Commonwealth series coins. They were one, five, ten, twenty five, and fifty respectively. Below is a photo of the set I have. My goal for this set is to obtain an all 1958 series that is of fairly good quality that most details still show on the coin like date, the letterings, and the figure of the person in recognizable detail. Why 1958? Because its the year that these coins were first minted and I want an original series.

The English Series
Top row from left: 50 Centavos (1964), Twenty five Centavos (1966), Ten Centavos (1964)
Bottom from left: Five Centavos (1958), One Centavo (1960)

As you may have noticed, the coins come from different years. Only my five centavo coin is 1958. Below are close ups of the coins. Info from, 

http://philmoney.blogspot.com/search/label/English%20Series%20Coins

Fifty Centavo Coin English Series (1964)

Obverse: 
Lady Liberty striking an anvil with a hammer with a volcano (Mt. Mayon) erupting in the background, "Fifty Centavos", year mark

Reverse:
Seal of the Republic of the Philippines, "Central Bank of the Philippines"

Twenty Five Centavo Coin English Series (1966)

Obverse: 
Lady Liberty striking an anvil with a hammer with a volcano (Mt. Mayon) erupting in the background, "Fifty Centavos", year mark

Reverse: 
Seal of the Republic of the Philippines, "Central Bank of the Philippines"

Ten Centavo Coin English Series (1964)

Obverse:
Lady Liberty striking an anvil with a hammer with a volcano (Mt. Mayon) erupting in the background, "Ten Centavos", year mark

Reverse:
Seal of the Republic of the Philippines,. "Central Bank of the Philippines"

Five Centavo Coin English Series (1958)

Obverse:
Figure of a man seated beside an anvil and holding a hammer with a volcano (Mt. Mayon) erupting in the background, "Five Centavos", year mark

Reverse: seal of the Republic of the Philippines, "Central Bank of the Philippines"

One Centavo Coin English Series (1960)

Obverse:
Figure of a man seated beside an anvil and holding a hammer with a volcano (Mt. Mayon) erupting in the background, "One Centavo", year mark

Reverse:
Seal of the Republic of the Philippines, "Central Bank of the Philippines"

Here are some of the more closeup views of the 1958 Five Centavo coin that I got from the bargain bin. It was a good find considering that I have never personally seen a five centavo coin, from this series, in such a good condition. Most if the coins I saw were really worn down that only the outlines of the figures can be seen.

Obverse:
You can still see the finer details such as the man's muscle profile and the clothes he is wearing.
The coin has considerable tarnishes on it, but much of the details can still be seen. Oh! and its 1958 which  is the year this coin series was first minted.

Reverse:
This side is tarnished as well, but still most of the details can be seen. I apologize for the blurry picture. My hands were shaking when I took this photo. Unlike most coins today, the orientation of the reverse from the obverse is upside down. Meaning when you turn the coin on its vertical axis (left to right/right to left) the man on the other side is upside down and vice versa when viewing from the obverse.

Enjoy!

Coin Collection: Commemorative Coins

My coin collecting hobby has recently been rekindled. I have been collecting coins since I was a child, but as a child would, I put my coins, unprotected, in one box. Which would mean, that any coin in good condition before, is now ruined. My collection remains in my room in our house in the province. Right now it is out of my reach. So i figured i would start a collection where i am right now and try to complete the Philippine coin series from the American occupation to the present. Right now I will be sharing to you the commemorative coins I have.

In the Philippines, there are a lot of commemorative coins and the really rare ones are real treasures of you happen to have one. Since there are too many commemorative coins, of which some are impossible to own in my lifetime,  I will only talk about the ones I do have in my possession. I am not a professional collector, nor an expert in coins. I am merely a novice enthusiast who appreciates historical currencies. The holders of my coins are my own DIY version and may not be up to standards with the real coin holders. My purpose is just to protect from scratches and fingerprints.


Below is my collection of commemorative coins that are with me. Notice the coins on the top row have duplicates. First two coins on the top row from left are, 1989 Dekada ng Kulturang Pilipino 1 peso coins. The two decagon coins on the upper right are, 1991 Ika-100 Taong Kaarawan Jose P. Laurel 2 peso coins. Lower left, 1992 Araw ng Kagitingan Ika-50 Anibersaryo 1 peso coin. Lower right, 1991 Ika-400 Taon ng Antipolo 1 Peso Coin.

All 1 peso coins i got from a collectors store in Megamall. The 2 peso coins i got from a bag of coins in the house.

More details below.

One Peso Araw ng Kagitingan 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin (1992)


OBVERSE:
Philippine Flag, Dambana ng Kagitingan, Bust of Philippine Solidier
"Araw ng Kagitingan" "1942-1992" "Ika-50 Anibersaryo"

REVERSE:
Seal of the Philippines, "Republika ng Pilipinas" "1 Piso"

One Peso Dekada ng Kulturang Pilipino Commemorative Coin (1989)

Obverse:
Busts of 3 Indigenous Filipinos, Rice Terraces, Hills, Abaca Plants, Zamboanga Vintas, "Dekada ng Kulturang Pilipino" 1988-1998

One Peso Dekada ng Kulturang Pilipino Commemorative Coin (1989)
Reverse:
Seal of the Philippines, "Republika ng Pilipinas", "1-Piso", Year Mark

 One Peso Antipolo 400th Year Anniversary Commemorative Coin (1991)

OBVERSE:
Hinulugang Taktak Waterfalls, Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage) on the San Jose, Artocarpus incisa (Breadfruit tree), "Ika-400 Taon ng Antipolo, Rizal"1591-1991

REVERSE:
Seal of the Philippines, "Republika ng Pilipinas", 1-Piso

Two Peso Jose P. Laurel Birth Centenary Commemorative Coin (1991)

Obverse:
Jose P. Laurel "Ika-100 Taong Kaarawan" 1891-1991

Reverse:
1943 Seal of the Republic of the Philippines with an equilateral triangle with the words Kapayapaan (Peace), Kalayaan (liberty), Katarungan (Justice). "Republika ng Pilipinas", 2 Piso

I missed uploading the Antipolo coin closeups. Will update later.

Update: Antipolo Coin has been uploaded.

Info on the coins courtesy of:
http://philmoney.blogspot.com/search/label/Commemorative%20Coins

Enjoy!

The Budong Project: Update 3, The New Year, Wedding plans, and Old coins

New years eve of 2012 was a blast. Friends came over and we had a rockin good time with lots of food and fun games. As usual we slept at around 2:00 am at the dawn of 2013 and woke up late to a breakfast of last nights left over food.

Jan 01, 2013. It was a lazy day spent mostly on wedding planning with my sweetheart. I also had time to continue sewing my Budong pack. Almost done sewing the shoulder straps. The hip belt pads are now done, but i have to bulk up the padding since my sweetheart said, "make it thicker." I have to do what she says since she will be testing this pack. I was only able to glue the shoulder straps and sew part of it. Hopefully I can get one shoulder strap done this evening.

In the afternoon, after my sweetheart left, i had a chance to check out a bag full of old coins in the garage. They are not that old, but they are coins that are no longer in circulation from the late 70's to mid 90's. I did found some treasures in there; 2 commemorative coins, 2 old Commonwealth era centavo coins, the improved flora and fauna series including the elusive mini 50 centavo coin with the eagle. The bag contains mostly the flora and fauna series of Philippine coins in pristine condition. I was amazed at how shiny and new the coins looked despite being 20+ years old. Shiny 50 centavo coins with the eagle, 1 peso coin with the carabao, and the decagon 2 peso coin with the coconut. I kept some of the shiny ones to complete the series. I returned most in the bag. I will go over them again when i have time since there are more pristine coins in there that i would like to add to my collection. I especially want to find the 1983 50 centavo coin with error. Although i already have one that's not particularly pristine, it would be amazing to find one that is in pristine condition. Now my coin collector mind has once again been turned on. I'll try to post pictures of some of the coins I have. I am now looking for a way to store them properly. For better protection and viewing at the same time. We don't want any fingerprints on the coins now, do we?

Wedding planning is on the way. Not very easy mind you. With all the names of guests, venue options, program, rituals, and more. Not to mention the amount of money to be spent for the ceremony alone. Then again, I am excited to finally get to marry the one i want to spend my life with.

The Budong Project: Update 2

Just got back from the holiday break. I went home to the province to celebrate the holiday with my family. As always, I am in charge of the pasta. Lots of food! Yummy food to be exact. I had pinapaintan, adobong puti, BBQ, pasta, etc...and i got to spend time with my family. I also met my brother-in-law and niece for the first time. It wasn't as bad as I expected. My niece is a cry baby, but cute none the less.

With regards to the bag. I was able to complete hand sewing all the reinforcement patches. As expected i was not able to do anything at home. I did manage to cut the pattern for the shoulder strap and manage to cut one of the traps from my fabric. The other i will do tonight including the hip belts. Now i think i wont have enough fabric for the front pocket. So maybe I will opt not having a pocket anymore. As for the compression straps, maybe I'll just put 1 on each side. which would mean sewing more patches, which is ok. no worries about the sewing, its the cutting i am really not comfortable with.

For the pads, I decided to use the insulation (the one with double sided silver coating used for cars.) for the pads in the shoulder strap and hip belt. Since the pack shouldn't carry more than 15 pounds, it should be ok.

The Budong Project: Update 1

The Budong project is progressing rather slowly. Sometimes i find myself with lack of motivation or just down right lazy to do something for fear of ruining the entire project. So far I have fabric glued the reinforcement patches and hand sewn 2 of the 4 patches for the shoulder straps. I got myself one of those wooden circle things used for hand embroidery so that my fabric is taught when I hand stitch. I have employed the backstitch which my girlfriend says is a running backstitch...which is much more efficiently called a "backstitch." (Spent about five minutes arguing how to call the stitch...ahhh...)

Tonight I hope I can sew the remaining patches and finally have the chance to cut out the pattern for the shoulder strap and hip belt. Dimensions of the shoulder strap is 24" x 4", hip belt is 10" x 4". I haven't done the cutting yet. I am considering adding hip pouches, but its is rather ambitious considering that this is my first backpack project.

I didn't take pictures yet of my progress. Again i am overcome by laziness to even take pictures. My time on the project is spent more on visualizing how this a certain part should be made and how it should all come together and how it should look...and stuff like that. It is mentally exhausting to the point that I fall asleep thinking about this. I really wish i had a sewing machine that can handle heavy thread. That way I wont need to hand stitch every single part of the backpack. I dread hand stitching the entire side of the backpack which is 25" long. Imagine backstitching the entire length and i cant do that with a single piece of thread. i have to section stitch it. As in 5-inch sections because that is what I can stitch at a time without the thread looping on itself. I also have a bit of a concern for  thread tension when doing a hand stitch.

Then there is the front pocket and the extension collar. which adds more sewing time to the pack. oh and the roll top closure system which I haven't yet made because I have no webbing! Crud! Someone please find me a supplier for the materials! Divi is of no help as of yet. I haven't found the secret places to buy fabric yet. I did find an online supplier but its just too expensive. Seriously, 200 pesos for 1 meter of ripstop? That's just not right, right?
Quality side release buckles are also hard to find. Help! Anyone!?

The Budong Project

This project is about making my own hiking pack out of some ripstop material I sourced from Divi. Its blue and its my first prototype backpack. Construction is fairly simple, granting that you are an expert with a sewing machine and a master seamstress. The design is based on a lot of designs I have seen on the internet.

The materials have been cut. (most of it). I will be using free patterns on the internet for the shoulder straps and Hip belt. Target date of completion  is January 12. Some materials will be from an old pack since buckles are hard to come by. I took the pack apart and scavenged the straps and buckles. I have one more backpack to dismember for its straps.

 

Specs:

• Capacity: 23L + 10L(extension collar)
• Roll top closure. like a dry bag.
• One external front pocket.
• With compression straps

This pack will be ideal for ultralight hiking. The overall goal is to make a basic kit that includes the following:

1. Backpack (Budong pack)
2. Quilt (Replaces the sleeping bag)
3. Bivy (for weather/bug proofing the quilt. Can also be used without the quilt on warm summer nights)
4. Tarp (Main shelter. replaced the tent. Downside is, no privacy)

You are probably wondering how I came up with the name Budong for the backpack. Well, its a secret and will only be revealed to you once I have completed the pack.

Wish me luck.

Home

Going home every Christmas holiday is one of the most awaited times of the year for me. Being away for most of the year makes it even more satisfying. Being able to see my family, sleep in my bed, eat Mom's cooking, rummage though my stuff, using my Amang's tools, and just being able to be me.

This year brings a bit of hesitation for me to go home. I'm sure there are going to be awkward moments especially since I think my family was invaded. Aside from the fact that we are no longer complete because my younger sister left for KSA to work there for 2 years, it  just doesn't "feel" normal. Then again maybe its just me.

I called Mom last night, and i requested for her adobo. Of course, her adobo is the best in the world and you cant argue about that with me. I'm sure I will be doing the pasta again, but this time the BBQ sauce wont be made by my younger sister. I wonder who will do the sauce this year.

I try to avoid some things, but i guess this year its inevitable. I will have to go home and I will have to face someone. Will I be able to control myself? I cant say for sure. Maybe. Maybe not. Although I am excited to meet someone else. I'm sure she is the cutest new person I will meet. I already have my gifts for her. When she grows up I'm gonna take her mountaineering with me. I just hope her mom doesn't object.

Home! Its where I will always want to be whenever I am down. It will always be the place I'll go back to. Maybe even the place I will go to take my rest someday. A ton of memories, a lot of experiences, more memories to come.