Catalog
5 Pesos
| Issuer | Philippine National Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Pesos |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The note carries a green letterpress underprint of repeated "PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK" text across the entire field. At left, a circular Cebu Currency Committee seal reads "ISSUED BY THE CEBU CURRENCY COMMITTEE BY AUTHORITY OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES OF DECEMBER 29, 1941". At right, the circular Philippine National Bank seal is printed in black, flanking a central guilloche vignette rendering the word "FIVE" in ornate script. Three manuscript signatures appear at the lower centre, attributed respectively to the Fiscal of the Province of Cebu (Member), the Acting Manager of P.N.B. Cebu (Chairman), and the Auditor of the Province of Cebu (Member), with red serial numbers at lower left and upper right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the green letterpress underprint of "PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK" text across the entire field. The issuer's name arches across the upper portion in bold black letterpress. A large roman numeral "V" vignette occupies the centre, overlaid by the place and date inscription. Below the central vignette, the designation "EMERGENCY CIRCULATING NOTE OF 1941" is set in bold capitals. Ornamental cornerpieces bearing "5 PESOS" repeat at all four corners within a ruled border. |
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| Comments |
The Philippine National Bank emergency notes of 1941 were authorized as the Japanese invasion made normal banking operations impossible. This series was issued under extreme duress, with branches printing their own emergency currency to keep commerce functioning as the colonial financial system collapsed around them. The PNB had been the primary fiscal arm of the Commonwealth government, and these notes were a last-ditch measure to maintain liquidity in the field.
The "S" prefix in the Pick number denotes provisional or emergency status — these circulated alongside regular Commonwealth issues but were never intended as permanent currency. Many were destroyed or abandoned during the Japanese occupation.