The Philippines were under the sovereignty of the United States from the period of the Spanish-American war (around 1898) through soon after the end of WWII in 1946. A self-governing commonwealth was established in 1935. Coins were struck for them nearly continuously from 1903-1945. They are not particularly rare, although the most commonly encountered coins are the ones from the 1940s which are downright common. They sell for around 50 cents or so and can be found in "junk" boxes quite often for 25 cents. There are a few error coins of value, but the only regular issue coin of any considerable value is the 1 peso coin of 1903-1906 which retails for around $20 in extra fine condition. Most of the rest range from $2-$10 retail. A complete type set in uncirculated should be obtainable for well under $500. I got these prices from a catalog. As I search the Internet for these coins, people are asking for more than this, so the catalog may be incorrect or out of date. Ebay is a good place to search for current valuations.

It is interesting to most people today that the Philippines were once as much a part of the United States as Puerto Rico is today. The coins were struck both in the United States (at San Francisco, Philadelphia and Denver) and in Manilla. But, as far as I know, there are no mint marks on these coins. They are an interesting reminder of a bygone age in the south Pacific. They are attractive and interesting coins.

Here are a couple of examples of these types of coins.

If you wish to sell your Philippines coins, contact me and I'll tell you if I know of any active buyers.

For more details, there is a nice article at http://www.coinsite.com/content/Articles/PhilippinesMinor.asp.