This 4th SPOT will spotlight some of my notes from the beautiful Philippine Islands.
All of the notes below were bought after my first trip there in 2018. I believe they're interesting more for their designs, special serial numbers or other idiosyncratic features. This started out as a fun project and I did not focus in terms of rarity (they're mostly from the New Generation recent series). This was the least expensive of all my SPOT sets.
ENJOY the images of the sets!
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Around 2015, after picking up a few Duisenberg 2002 Euros, I figured I could try nations I traveled to (or would like to visit). I put in a few bids on pre-Euro notes (Luxembourg, France, Germany). Some of these I won, most I lost, but my appetite was indeed "whet." I also chased some of the cheap dealer stock. I was like a kid in a candy store initially. After I settled down (from my shop-till-you drop buying frenzy), I realized I needed to become focussed & much more discriminating! I started to collect only nations I had actually stayed a night or 2 (actually visited). During a trip to the Philippines, I realized I needn't break the bank to put together a nice special number set from the New Generation series.
On my first trip to the Philippines I was on the look out for what might be a TOUGH signature combo & was on the look out for "Duterte-Tetangco" signed examples. How did I figure out which signature combo would be tough? I asked my wife to get me a stash (X50) of 20 Pesos notes. I soon discovered that most of them had the old "Aquino Tetangco" signature combo and only 1 or 2 were the new signature. Since our payments would be mostly conducted in cash (services/retailers would not take credit cards) I figured I would find the new signature eventually. My wife handed me many overly circulated 1000 Peso notes with a cross symbol (which clearly functioned as replacements). Soiled 1000 Peso notes were needed for our expenses so none were kept. A few raggy examples were found in lower denominations too. I was determined to acquire some UNC lower denominations (100, 50 & 20 Pesos) replacements or early "Duterte-Tetangco" signature combinations once I got back home.
It took me weeks before I found a 2017F 20 Peso note with the "Duterte-Tetangco" signature combination! But again, it was in VF condition & not very collectible considering these would be the new signature!
My wife & I also made a commitment to see some of the other islands while we were there. These included both Palawan & Cebu islands. We "island hopped" from the beautiful village of El Nido, Palawan and then swam with the whale sharks near Oslob, Cebu. Since my wife spoke the language, she negotiated most of our cash deals so I did not see all of our bills (even though she was very good at letting me check our change). So, with all the fun we had, the holiday wasn't a numismatic adventure and I did not find what I was looking for.
And then, while checking through the airport for our return flight, a staff member handed me a 200 Peso note as change. I knew about the 500 Piso notes but had no idea this 200 Peso denomination existed! This beauty was in EF to AU (old signature combo) but it reignited my resolve to pick some UNC "keepers" online, back home.
My wife and I had a wedding to attend in her homeland. This time, I wanted to see the Tarsier creature featured on the reverse of the 200 Pesos note! One of the things I like about the Philippines set below is that it was inexpensive, a modern set of special #, & has most of the varieties. Many, like the 200 Pesos, actually bring back fond memories & keep the prospects of a future trip fresh in mind. The reverse of the 200 Pesos note prompted us to discover the Tarsier Sanctuary & the Chocolate Hills on Bohol Island.
*collectible* - I realize that collectible is a relative term. I am trying to keep the definition to UNC (original eye appeal) & tougher to obtain (expensive, high NRI & only few sellers) but also don't wish to dismiss the less collectible issues in high grades. Most Philippines notes have low NRI b/c so many people own them & they're inexpensive. This meant I could have fun collecting high grade, low #, solid radars & replacements without "breaking the bank." I also thought it would be fun to chase some years & signature combos that may end up being a bit tougher than others (low percentages despite the low NRI).
*TPG (Third Party Graded: I wanted this set to be certified by PMG to ensure I was getting original UNC notes rather than processed)
P-166
2 Piso
CommemorativeP-166
2 Piso
CommemorativeP-153
5 Piso
Solid 4 RadarP-153
5 Piso
Solid 4 RadarP-168
5 Piso
Million #
P-168
5 Piso
Million #
P-169c*
10 Piso
replacement
P-169c*
10 Piso
replacement
On returning from the Philippines, I really had no idea which types of notes I wanted to collect. I was flying blind for a short time. What appealed to me in 2018 were special serial numbers so that is why I picked up the Million # 5 Pesos (P-168) & the solid 4 (P-153). I also like replacements and found a Filipino seller who's idea of UNC was definitely more liberal than mine! So I stopped buying from him & switched to a more expensive (conservative) seller from Singapore. I bought (P-166) the Commemorative 2 Pesos for about $3.00 USD and would like to get the 1 Peso some day (which is surprisingly expensive/tougher in UNC).
P-169c
10 Piso
Solid 2 RadarP-169c
10 Piso
Solid 2 RadarP-187h
10 Piso
Solid 6 RadarP-187h
10 Piso
Solid 6 RadarP-182c
20 Piso
Solid 6 RadarP-182c
20 Piso
Solid 6 RadarP-182j
20 Piso
Solid 8 RadarP-182j
20 Piso
Solid 8 RadarAfter switching to the Singapore seller, I realized that condition was paramount & placed a few bids on some PMG 10 Peso notes (P-169c & P-187h above). Both notes came from World Banknote Auctions & were in the midst of some rare to tough listings. Each note was less than $30 each (for a solid radar). I also submitted the "solid 6" (P-182c) & "solid 8" (P-182j) radars to PMG and received UNC 64 grades.
P-182i
20 Piso
Low # 1 noteP-193b
50 Piso
Low # 1 noteP-194
100 Piso
Low # 8 noteP-206a
20 Piso
Low serial # 1P-207a
50 Piso
Low serial # 1P-208a
100 Piso
Low serial # 1P-206a
20 Piso
Ladder #P-206b
20 Piso
1000000 # noteUnfortunately, the #1 & #8 notes were too handled to receive a decent grade but I like them enough to include them here. While buying, I had learned that France printed the early 2010 New Generation series at the same time that the Philippines were printing the older 2010 series. The co-production of 2 different series from two separate printers lasted 2-3 years. So I bought 3 sets of the French printers 2010 NG Low # sets (P-206a; P-207a & P-208a) and one 2010 Low # 20 Pesos set (P-182i). I submitted the four low # notes for grading: the P-208a 100 Pesos got UNC 64 EPQ while P-182i 20 Pesos received UNC 68 EPQ!)
P-207b
50 Piso
Solid 5 RadarP-207c
50 Piso
Solid 5 RadarP-208a
50 Piso
Solid 9 RadarP-222c
50 Piso
Solid 5 RadarP-209b
200 Piso
Single Letter PrefixP-New
50 Piso
NO TACTILE MARKSP-New
50 Piso
Low # 7P-New
50 Piso
SN 7 DIGITSOn my first trip to the Philippines, I wanted a "Duterte-Tetangco" signature combo. I later picked up a 2016 20 Pesos with that signature combination (the first) but was happy with the solid radars too. I also wanted various versions of solid radars. I sought the "Duterte Espenillo" combo & got them with the "solid 5" 50 Pesos (P-207c) radar. The early 100 Pesos had a blue tint which the "solid 9" 100 Pesos radar (P-208a) nicely demonstrates. I also wanted the later all-purple/revised "Duterte Tetangco" "solid 5" (P-222c) as a to contrast with the earlier blue tint solid 9 note.
The 2016 200 Pesos is a single-letter prefix variety & with the "Duterte Tetangco" signatures (P-209b).
The last three 50 Pesos shows P-New seal changes after Boom Marcos came to power. A few idiosyncratic varieties have since been discovered: the early 2022 versions had no tactile marks for the blind, while the 2023 did (with low #7 and single-letter prefix). The last 50 Pesos had a 7 digit serial number (unknown up until this time). I would also like to get the replacement note with the 2 letter AA prefix (another first).
Enjoy I used my own collecting background to determine what I would put together for these sets.
I have many more notes from this country (a Commemorative 500 & a polymer 1000) but have just selected my favourites or "my keeper set."
I did not rely on NRI numbers for these but did track the percentages of certain signature combos (like the 2016 20 Pesos "Duterte-Tetangco" or the 2018B 100 Pesos "Duterte-Espenilla" varities). These have quite low percentages (5% or less) and ended up being tough varieties to find. I did not know that either of the "Duterte ___" combos would be tough but rather followed a hunch that proved correct.
The highest grade- UNC notes should not be tough to source for the Philippine Islands (AU minimum) unless you are buying old, Large sized US printed versions (pricey).
The new Polymer series meant there could be some strange anomalies for the last paper issued. I was keenly watching for any idiosyncratic varieties that eventually did appear. This is always exciting for a collector (to find something unusual!)
Tougher years Some of the recently issued series were limited, get tougher years (2010, 2016 or 2022).
Radars or Low Numbers these were bought in sets (typically $150 USD for a 10 note low # set) or $15USD/low # note. Solid radar sets (of 10 notes) were a little more expensive (about $20/note). Look for 2-3 digit radars since these sets dominate what is being sold!
Replacements Most of my replacements were inexpensive (1/2 the price of the special numbers).
First "Signatures" some notes are from the tougher signature issues (2016 Duterte-Tetangco; Duterte-Espenilla).
The 200 Pesos note since it was an oddity and spurred us both to investigate the Tarsier sanctuary, Bohol & the "Chocolate Hills."
Find established online sellers with positive feedback ratings. If they send UNC that look more AU or cannot ship notes in decent packaging, switch!
Have a few "fun" sets that satisfy your collecting goals (no matter what others say).
Follow your gut. My collector hunches told me to get some of the signature change-overs & I was happy I did.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at notaphilyc@gmail.com
For future set Spots!