Culion Leper Colony pair
Verfasst: Mo 24.04.17 08:22
I was lucky enough to find this pair in a junk-box late Friday afternoon, a 1920 10-centavo (mintage 20,000), and a 1913 20-centavo (mintage 10,000) from the Culion Leper Colony in the Philippine Islands.
The aluminum in these coins was replaced by copper-nickel beginning in ‘22—aluminum just didn’t hold up well when subjected to the chemicals that were used to disinfect Culion’s coinage.
All of Culion’s coins were struck in Manila. The early coins—like this 1913 20-centavo, for instance—were struck by a private outfit, Frank and Company, but production of Culion’s coinage was later switched to the U.S. branch mint that opened in Manila in 1920. (I’ve read that the production transfer was accomplished in time for Culion’s 1920 issues to have been coined at the new mint facility.)
Two final thoughts… 1) the obvious, that these are tough coins to find in anything like presentable condition; and 2) that in the hand these coins are surprisingly large for centavo-denominated pieces (the 10c goes 29mm, and the 20c, 32mm)—so I can’t help wondering if they were “up-sized” to help folks with impairments use them more easily.
v.
The aluminum in these coins was replaced by copper-nickel beginning in ‘22—aluminum just didn’t hold up well when subjected to the chemicals that were used to disinfect Culion’s coinage.
All of Culion’s coins were struck in Manila. The early coins—like this 1913 20-centavo, for instance—were struck by a private outfit, Frank and Company, but production of Culion’s coinage was later switched to the U.S. branch mint that opened in Manila in 1920. (I’ve read that the production transfer was accomplished in time for Culion’s 1920 issues to have been coined at the new mint facility.)
Two final thoughts… 1) the obvious, that these are tough coins to find in anything like presentable condition; and 2) that in the hand these coins are surprisingly large for centavo-denominated pieces (the 10c goes 29mm, and the 20c, 32mm)—so I can’t help wondering if they were “up-sized” to help folks with impairments use them more easily.
v.
v.