10 Sentimo

The BSP redesigned its circulating coinage series in 1995 partly in response to counterfeiting pressure on the older aluminum-bronze issues, with the shift to copper-plated steel also reflecting a cost-reduction mandate as the peso faced sustained depreciation through the late 1990s Asian financial crisis. The Philippines was among the hardest-hit economies in that period, and keeping low-denomination coinage economically viable required material changes.

The KM#270.1 and 270.2 distinction tracks a modification in the coin's edge treatment between production runs — a minor but catalogued difference that affects set completeness.