5 Sentimos Ferdinand E. Marcos, pattern

Pattern coins from the Marcos administration were produced experimentally in various base metals before final compositions were approved for circulation strikes. Lead, highly malleable and easy to work, was a practical choice for early die trials — it reproduces surface detail faithfully and reveals any problems with the hub before precious or harder metals are committed to production. Whether this piece was struck at the Manila Mint or produced under contract abroad is a question the surviving documentation does not cleanly resolve.