You might have already heard the 1971 one peso old coin. If not then according to rumors, there were 100 pieces special edition of 1 peso old coins that was released by the BSP (Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas) to the public. And aside from their rarity, these 1 peso old coins can be the most expensive coin in the Philippines due to their claimed value reaching up to 1 million pesos.What is so special about them?The ordinary 1971 one peso coin and its rare counterpart do have similar face on one side which is the face of Dr. Jose Rizal. But on the other side, they have completely different faces. The ordinary once have the symbol representing the Republic of the Philippines. While, the rare once do have the symbol of an opened book which is the Noli Me Tangere.

What actually makes the rare one peso old coin so special is that, it is believed to be made out of Yamashita gold which makes it pure gold. This is the reason why it has an estimated value of about 1 million pesos.

KMJS Proves the Validity of the Most Expensive Coin in the Philippines

A team of media which is KMJS (Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho) from GMA Network made a short interesting documentary of the rare 1971 old coin. On their search, they found Roel (not his real name) who happens to own 1 piece of the rare coin. According to him, he is aware of the shocking value of this 1 peso old coin so he himself is looking for an interested buyer who can offer him such amount. Unfortunately, most individuals who contacted him ends up not interested in buying the coin.

To confirm the validity of the coin owned by Roel, KMJS team consulted Boyet Manuel who is an avid coin collector which makes him an expert on this kind of industry. After studying Roel’s coin, he noticed that it is thinner than the regular coin issued on 1972 to 1974. Due to this reason, he derived into a conclusion that Roel’s coin has been probably tampered by a medal maker or artistic individual who did it just for fun.

It seems that even the regular 1971 one peso old coin is very rare that even Boyet Manuel (of the Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Society – oldest and largest organization in Asia of coin collectors) does not seem to have one on his collections which he can use for comparison. It’s because he made used of those coins that were released on 1972 to 1974 in which they might had been designed thicker as compared to the 1971 edition.

The next person consulted by KMJS was Maja Gratia Malic who is the Deputy Director of Currency Issue and Integrity Office of BSP. According to her interview, she denied that Roel’s coin didn’t came from BSP. This is due to the fact that they cannot find a copy on their collections, website and even on their money museum.

As a personal opinion, what if the previous coin-maker of the BSP back in 1971 probably made Roel’s coin for a test but it didn’t worked out or had some other reasons. Since there were only 100 pieces of these rare 1 peso coins, I guess they did not put them on the record. And, the presence of these 100 pieces of coins was probably not that too important to be worth recorded.

My own final thoughts about these rare 100 pieces of 1971 one peso old coins is that, they were probably created as samples. But due to human error, they were released accidentally to the public.

When it comes to the rumored Yamashita gold mixed into these coins, it could be true but not in all 100 pieces of the coins. There could only be 20 or just 1 of these coins that got gold mixture in them. This is probably what explains why there were so many interested buyers on Roel’s coin. However, when they realized it was not made of gold, they immediately backed out.

Moreover, all thoughts that I shared above are just my own mere speculations which means that I could be wrong. Anyway, the mystery of these 1971 one peso old coin remains unsolved. And while it remains unsolved, it currently holds the title of being the most expensive coin in the Philippines.

Old Coins Buyer Philippines 1972

The succeeding 1972 to the 1974 one peso old coins also seem to possess some value when sold today. But unlike the rare 1971 one peso coins, the 1972 version became the most common type of Philippine peso coin until it had undergone another major changes in 1974.

So what makes the old 1972 one peso coin valuable today?

It all actually started as a “rumor”. In the past, it was indeed true that coins had mixtures of precious metals but not until the year 1958. The “Central Bank of the Philippines” so as the “Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas” has declared that all coins that they produce do not contain any valuable metals. This means that all collectors who still collects and hoard massive amount of coins all because of the rumor should stop.

In the city of Baguio, there are several old coin buyers of the Philippine 1972 one peso coin where you can find them simply on the sides of the streets along with the other vendors. Most of them also provide their services of jewelry making and watch repairs. So if you have the old one peso coin then you can easily sell it to them but you have to expect a very low price. The reason is that they are not really collectors but simply, they needed the material of your coin to turn it into a jewelry like ring, pendant and etc…

Once they managed to turn your coin into a jewelry, they will sell it three to five times higher than the price that they bought from you. Thus, all the jewelries they are selling on the side are made from old coins.

Some individual claims that mixed with the 1972 one peso old coins is “white gold”. The reason why it does not tarnish. But, some experts explains that it’s not white gold but copper, nickel and zinc are the material composition used on the coins which prevents tarnishing.

Perhaps, the only way to solve the rumor about the 1972 one peso old coin if it really contains precious materials is to let it examined by a metallurgists. They already have this high-tech form of technology where they simply place the metal object inside it and the machine will determine all of its metallic compositions. Anyway, if you are a buyer of the 1972 one peso Philippine old coin then feel free to post your contact below. And also, if you know any other old coins with high value Philippines then you may want to share them as well so we can have a discussion about it.

Commonly Asked Questions:

What are the rare old coins Philippines price?

• There are several rare old coins of the Philippines but their prices vary depending on how antique they are, materials used and preservation. Availability also have a huge influence to the price. Let’s say for example that there are still many individuals who possess the old 1971 coins and they are all willing to sell it, the impact on its price will not be good.

Is the 1971 the rarest coin in the Philippines?

• No it’s not. The rarest and perhaps even the most valuable coins are those ancient coins such as the piloncitos, macuquinas or cobs, barilla and etc…

Sir Elmo, are you a buyer of old Philippine coins?

• Yes, I just recently started a coin-collecting hobby. But as a collector, I only need one single piece of coin that is not yet added on my list of collections.