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!
Piloncito
| Issuer | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Year | 900-1199 |
| Type | Proto coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | 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 | Obverse features the Baybayin script character 'Ma' (ᜋ) incuse-struck in relief against a flat field, rendered in a bold, archaic calligraphic style characteristic of pre-colonial Philippine goldsmithing. The character occupies the majority of the flan, which is irregular and slightly convex due to the hand-hammered production technique. The overall appearance is consistent with high-purity native gold, displaying a warm, rich yellow luster. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ᜋ (Translation: Ma) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Among the earliest indigenous coinage of Southeast Asia, piloncitos predate Spanish colonization by several centuries and were already established trade currency when the first Chinese merchants documented them in contact accounts. The name itself is a Spanish colonial-era term imposed retroactively — the original Tagalog or Visayan designation, if one existed, was never recorded.
Most examples were recovered from burial sites or river dredging, which accounts for the survival of pieces in unexpectedly fine condition alongside others with heavy surface corrosion from prolonged soil contact.