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500 Pesos Philippine Islands
| Issuer | Treasury of the Philippine Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1929 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-printed note with a vignette of Miguel López de Legazpi at left, rendered in fine engraved detail against an ornate guilloche underprint. The large numeral '500' occupies the centre field, overlaid with the text of the treasury certificate obligation. A circular red seal of the Government of the Philippine Islands appears at right, with printed signatures below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BY AUTHORITY OF AN ACT OF THE PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE APPROVED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 13, 1922 THIS CERTIFIES THAT THERE HAS BEEN DEPOSITED IN THE TREASURY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 500 PESOS PAYABLE TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND IN SILVER PESOS OR IN GOLD COIN OF THE UNITED STATES OF EQUIVALENT VALUE FIVE HUNDRED PESOS TREASURY CERTIFICATE |
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| Comments |
The 1929 Treasury Certificate series represented a transitional moment for Philippine currency administration — issued under American colonial authority but framed as instruments of a distinctly Philippine treasury rather than U.S. federal obligation. The 500 Peso denomination was the highest value in this series, which placed real limits on its everyday utility and kept most examples in institutional or commercial hands rather than general circulation.
Surviving examples in any grade are genuinely scarce. The combination of high face value, limited print run, and the destruction wrought by the Second World War — particularly the deliberate burning of Philippine currency stocks ahead of Japanese advances in 1941–42 — accounts for that scarcity far more than normal attrition would.