Expert: PAPAJACK - 7/13/2008

Question
i have this old dime from 1918 that on one side says united states of america but on the other side says 10 centavos philipines, so is it u.s. or philipino?...and how much would it be worth, it's pretty tarnished but not worn much.

Answer
Hello Amanda,                               

This issue was indeed made at the U.S Mint.
It is a Philippine one tenth Peso coin. It may seem odd that a coin from an Asian country would bear a denomination that is usually attributed to Spanish countries.

But The Philippines were held by Spain until the end of the 19th century, when the islands were ceded to the United States after the Spanish-American War.

However, the monetary system remained unchanged. During these years the Coinage produced for them was made either in the U.S.A. at the San Francisco Mint or at a Mint set up in Manilla by the US Mint.

The islands were invaded by Japan during WWII. Although the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States in 1935, monetary reform did not occur until after 1965.

The coins value is set by the Grade since there were so many made. They will usually sell from $1.00 to $8.00 for circulated coins depending on grade. Specimen coin that never circulated sells for more.

Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack