Mickey Mouse Money
(One Thousand Pesos)
Mickey Mouse Money
(One Thousand Pesos)
From the Collection of Paul Anthony Colina
During the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, there was a new currency being legally imposed, and it was called the Japanese Invasion Notes. Printed with the name of the Japanese Government on its appearance, it exists in pesos and centavos with no backup reserves and values only with high denominations. When its value gradually decreased when World War 2 was near to its end, locals dubbed it as the “Mickey Mouse Money.”
During the time when Filipino revolutionaries fought the Spanish colonial rule and established independence and government, the revolutionary leaders issued their own coins and paper currency (Coins and Notes - History of Philippine Money, 2020).
They minted two-centavo copper coins and printed one-peso and five-peso revolutionary coins which were called “Repulika Filipina Papel Moneda de Un Peso and Cinco Pesos” which were circulated (Coins and Notes - History of Philippine Money, 2020).
After Aguinaldo surrendered to the Americans, circulations of such coins and bills were stopped and were declared illegal (Coins and Notes - History of Philippine Money, 2020).
A series of bi-national coins, including a proof coin, were made in the United States between 1903 and 1908. The coins had the words USA on the reverse and Philippines on the obverse.
The entire series, which featured an Eagle on a shield on one side and Lady Liberty on the other, was exquisitely detailed. Not many of the proofs have survived. There are only two from 1907. Both are also distinct since they were struck on planchets that differed in diameter and fineness.
These splendid silver coins, distinguished by their bold design, proudly represented Spanish supremacy over both the Old World of Europe and the New World of the Americas and the East. They gradually replaced the cob coins by adopting a prescribed circular shape during 1732-1772, which was uniquely safeguarded against debasement with a milled floral edge.
Meticulously crafted and composed of 916.66 fine silver, these columnarias were produced using screw presses, maintaining the same denominations as the earlier cob coins. They quickly earned a well-deserved reputation for being the most widely recognized coins across the known world, solidifying their status as the precursor to modern international currency.
Among the currencies used before the Spaniards ever set foot. Piloncitos has been used as a means of payment when bartering goods between neighboring countries such as China, Borneo, Java, and Thailand, among other local currencies, piloncitos consists of pure gold with a a distinct size comparable to a bead with a flat base unlike its another local counterpart that comes in sizeable donut shape rings.
REFERENCES
Coins and Notes - History of Philippine Money. (n.d.). Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://www.bsp.gov.ph/Pages/CoinsAndNotes/HistoryOfPhilippineMoney/HistoryOfPhilippineMoney.aspx
Japanese Peso Note. (n.d.). McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/object-of-the-month/japanese-peso-note/
Springate, M. E. (n.d.). Currency on the World War II Home Front. National Park Service. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/currency-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm
Coin, R. P. (2022, September 4). 12 Most Valuable Philippine Coins Worth Money. Rob Paulsen Coin. https://robpaulsenlive.com/rare-philippine-coins/
Iccoin. (n.d.). American Philippines 1907-1912 Liberty Silver Peso Very Fine. ICCoin. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://iccoin.com/american-philippines-1907-1912-liberty-silver-peso-very-fine/
The Kahimyang Project. (2011, November 5). 11 coins used by Filipinos before and during the Spanish Era. The Kahimyang Project. https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/general-blogs/728/11-pieces-of-history-coins-used-by-filipinos-before-and-during-the-spanish-era
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. (n.d.). Coins and Notes - History of Philippine Money. Bsp.gov.ph. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://www.bsp.gov.ph/Pages/CoinsAndNotes/HistoryOfPhilippineMoney/HistoryOfPhilippineMoney.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0HBG5SchNAAAievtIrgv2AlIjlLWv3zaPg8Sub6YWPSbRcNuO9roZWMG4
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC. (n.d.). Feature Auction CNG 100. PHILIPPINES, Kingdom of Ma-Yi. 9th-12th centuries AD. AV Piloncito – Masa (8.5mm, 2.27 g). CNG Coins. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=292902
Coins and Notes - History of Philippine Money. (2020). Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. https://www.bsp.gov.ph/Pages/CoinsAndNotes/HistoryOfPhilippineMoney/HistoryOfPhilippineMoney.aspx