Item number: A2019

Year: AD 1944

Material: Silver (.750)

Size: 27.4 x 27.4 x 2.0 mm

Weight: 9.95 g

Manufactured by: San Francisco Mint

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a 50 Centavos coin issued in AD 1944 by the Commonwealth of the Philippines, a United States territory. One hundred Centavos equate to one Philippine Peso.

The obverse features a standing female figure, often interpreted as Lady Liberty, though considering the theme of indigenous youth on lower-denomination coins, she may also represent an indigenous maiden. She is clad in a flowing gown, holding a hammer in her right hand, which rests lightly on an anvil. Behind her is Mayon Volcano, renowned for its nearly perfect conical shape, depicted erupting with ash, and situated southeast of the capital, Manila. The design symbolises labour and industrial progress. The upper inscription reads “FIFTY CENTAVOS,” denoting the coin’s denomination, while the lower inscription, “FILIPINAS,” refers to the Philippine archipelago. During the American colonial period, Spanish remained the primary language among the intellectual elite. The design was created by Melecio Figueroa, a prominent Filipino sculptor and the most influential coin engraver of the Philippine-American period. Employed at the Spanish Philippine Mint as early as AD 1893, he was later responsible for designing official coinage during the American administration, blending Western and indigenous Filipino artistic elements, influencing later Philippine coinage.

The reverse displays the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. The shield is vertically divided into two sections, the left in blue, represented by horizontal relief lines, and the right in red, indicated by vertical relief lines. A silver chief, depicted as a plain untextured section, bears three equidistant five-pointed stars, which appear gold in heraldic depictions. At the centre is the coat of arms of Manila, horizontally divided into two parts; the upper half, rendered with vertical relief lines, is red, while the lower half, left untextured, is silver. The upper section features a castle representing Castile, shown in gold in its original heraldic form, with silver doors and windows. The lower section contains a sea lion, depicted with an open mouth and raised claws, holding a sword in its right forepaw. In heraldry, both the sea lion and the sword are gold, while the claws and tongue are red. The sea lion is a stylised representation derived from the lion of León, combined with a fishtail, originally symbolising Spain’s overseas territories and later incorporated into Manila’s city emblem. Above the shield, a bald eagle with outstretched wings, depicted in naturalistic form, holds a scroll in its talons, with a ribbon below inscribed “Commonwealth of the Philippines”. The upper edge bears the inscription “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” while the lower edge displays the year “1944.” The letter “S” at the lower left indicates the San Francisco Mint, where the coin was produced.

The relationship between the United States and the Philippines during AD World War II was profoundly affected by Japanese aggression. The Philippines became an American colony following the AD 1898 Spanish-American War, and in AD 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established as a transitional government towards full independence, scheduled to be granted by AD 1946. In AD 1941, Japan launched the Pacific War and invaded the Philippines. Despite joint resistance by American and Philippine forces, the islands fell in AD 1942, leading to full occupation and the establishment of the Second Philippine Republic, a Japanese puppet state. During the war, the Filipino population endured severe destruction, resource shortages, and military rule, while the United States continued its counteroffensive in the Pacific. As American forces reclaimed strategic positions, General Douglas MacArthur landed on Leyte Island in AD 1944, marking the commencement of the liberation of the Philippines. The United States formally recognised Philippine sovereignty in AD 1946, ending nearly half a century of colonial rule and establishing a lasting alliance, maintaining economic and military cooperation, particularly within the geopolitical framework of the Cold War.

物件編號: A2019

年代: 公元 1944 年

材質: 銀 (75%)

尺寸: 27.4 x 27.4 x 2.0 mm

重量: 9.95 g

製造地: 舊金山鑄幣廠

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚美國屬地之菲律賓自治邦於公元1944年所鑄行之50分/仙塔沃(Centavos/Centimos)。100仙塔沃等於1菲律賓披索。

銀幣的正面為站立的自由女神形象，考慮到小面額硬幣的主題為原住民少年，少女可能也是原住民。她身著飄逸的長袍，右手握著一把錘子，輕靠在鐵砧上。她身後是噴發出火山灰的馬榮火山，以形狀幾乎完美呈圓錐形而著稱，位於首都馬尼拉的東南部。圖樣象徵著勞動與工業發展。上方環繞著面額「FIFTY CENTAVOS」，即50仙塔沃。下方環繞著西班牙文「FILIPINAS」，即菲律賓群島。於美國殖民時期，西班牙語仍為知識分子的主要語言。圖樣設計者為菲律賓雕塑家梅萊西奧·菲格羅亞(Melecio Figueroa)，其為菲律賓-美國時期最具影響力的錢幣雕刻師。公元1893年便於西屬菲律賓鑄幣廠任職，美屬菲律賓時期負責設計當時的官方貨幣。其設計融合西方與菲律賓本土文化，並影響後世錢幣設計。

銀幣的背面為菲律賓自治邦邦徽，盾徽縱分為兩部分，左側為藍色，浮雕中以橫紋表示，右側為紅色，浮雕中以豎紋表示；上方為銀色橫帶，以無紋的區塊表示，飾有三顆等距排列的五角星，於紋章中呈金色。中央覆蓋馬尼拉的盾徽，其盾面水平二分，上半部為紅色，以豎紋表示，下半部為銀色，以無紋的底色表示；上方為代表卡斯提爾的城堡，於紋章中為金色，門窗則為銀色；下方為一隻海獅，張牙舞爪，右前爪持有一柄劍，紋章中海獅及所持劍皆為金色，爪牙為紅色。海獅的形象為里昂王國的獅身嵌合魚尾，原先代表西班牙的海外殖民地，為馬尼拉的市徽。盾徽上方有展翅的美國白頭海雕，其爪銜著一條捲軸，下方綬帶上書「Commonwealth of the Philippines」，即「菲律賓自由邦」。上方環繞「UNITED STATES OF AMERICA」，即「美利堅合眾國」。下方為發行年「1944」，左下方有小字「S」，為舊金山鑄幣廠的鑄幣標記。

美國與菲律賓在公元第二次世界大戰期間的關係深受日本侵略影響，菲律賓自公元1898年美西戰爭後成為美國殖民地，公元1935年成立菲律賓自治邦，進入為期十年的自治過渡期，預計最遲於公元1946年獲得獨立。公元1941年底，日本發動太平洋戰爭，菲律賓遭到侵略，美軍與菲律賓軍隊聯合抵抗，但最終於公元1942年春失守，日軍占領全境，並扶植成立菲律賓第二共和國，試圖以傀儡政權統治該地。戰時的菲律賓人民面臨嚴重的戰爭破壞、資源短缺與軍事統治，而美國則持續在太平洋戰場進行反攻。隨著美軍收復西太平洋據點，麥克阿瑟將軍在公元1944年登陸雷伊泰島後，宣布開始解放菲律賓。最終，美國於公元1946年正式承認菲律賓的主權，結束長達近半世紀的殖民統治，並與菲律賓建立盟友關係，維持經濟與軍事合作，特別是在冷戰背景下持續保持戰略夥伴關係。