Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
50 Pesos Bank of the Philippine Islands, Brown back
| Issuer | Bank of the Philippine Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1928 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | At left, an intaglio allegorical female vignette rendered in fine line engraving presents a seated figure holding a spray of flowers within an oval guilloche frame; the central field carries bold letterpress text stating the bank title and denomination, with a manuscript date line reading Manila, P.I., January 1, 1928, and two manuscript signature lines for the Cashier and President below. A circular red bank seal is positioned at right, while denomination numerals occupy each corner, all enclosed within intricate lace-pattern guilloche borders. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | THE BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS FIFTY PESOS |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Bank of the Philippine Islands was a private commercial bank — not a central bank — yet it held note-issuing privileges under American colonial administration, one of several private institutions permitted to circulate currency alongside U.S. government issues. By 1928, that arrangement was already under pressure; the Philippine Legislature had been pushing toward a unified government-controlled currency for years, and private bank issues like this one were winding down toward eventual cessation in the early 1930s.
BEP production guaranteed consistent intaglio quality, but the "brown back" designation distinguishes this issue from earlier signature and color variants in the series — a practical collector distinction that reflects successive printings rather than any change in monetary policy.