Philippine Coins: 2015 50 Piso Pope Francis Commemorative Coin

Finally, after a long wait, I received an email from BSP that I can claim my 50 Piso Pope Francis commemorative coin and now I have it!

2015 50 Piso Pope Francis Commemorative
OBVERSE
“REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS”
Bust of Pope Francis.
“50 PISO”
“POPE FRANCIS”
“Franciscus”
“2015”

2015 50 Piso Pope Francis Commemorative
REVERSE
“PAPAL VISIT | PHILIPPINES”
Mercy and Compassion Logo; BSP Logo
“JANUARY 15-19, 2015”
“MERCY AND COMPASSION”

Specifications:
Metal: Nickel-brass (70% Copper, 24% Zinc, 6% Nickel)
Weight: 7.7 g
Diameter: 27 mm

Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Argentina.

The Pope conducted his Apostolic Visit to the Philippines on January 15-19, 2015.

To commemorate this historic event, BSP minted a 50 Piso coin and a 500 Piso coin in limited numbers. The coins could only be ordered online initially by submitting an order form to BSP, but today it can be bought online from coin dealers at a higher premium than BSP’s initial pricing.

The coin has a some interesting features.

The obverse, as shown below, has a polished field (Background) and the relief is mostly matte finish. A silhouette of the Pope can be seen behind the “50 PISO”. His signature, “Franciscus”, adorns the lower part of the obverse. The BSP mint mark is beside the left cheek of the Pope.

The reverse also has a polished background. It features the logo used during the Pope’s visit. The BSP logo appears to be in the middle of a sun with 3 rays going down and to the left of the sun are 3 stars. The sun and stars are symbols from our flag.

The reverse also featured repeating text on the background. “Mercy and Compassion” the motto of the Pope’s visit can be seen adorning the foreground of the coin’s reverse. see image below.

Enjoy!

 <<back to Philippine commemorative coins.

~ by MAV on February 25, 2016.