5 Centavos Small type

The Philippine coinage of this period was produced under American administration, with pieces struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints. The "Small type" designation distinguishes this from the earlier large-format 5 centavos series, the change driven by a 1918 Treasury review that sought to reduce metal costs across the subsidiary coinage. San Francisco-struck examples from the early 1930s are notably harder to source in collectible condition, a consequence of heavier commercial circulation in the archipelago's port cities rather than any production shortfall.