Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 12/23/2011

Question
For 1975, Krause lists (along with three different Franklin mint versions) both an “Lt” (or “VDM”) and a “US” version for each of the denominations, giving mintages for each (1 Sentimo, 60,190,000; 5 Sentimo, 98,928,000; 10 Sentimo, 50,000,000; 25 Sentimo, 10,000,000; 1 Piso, 30,000,000) which coincide with the mintages for these denominations listed in the Mint Reports (Domestic and Foreign Coins Manufactured by Mints of the United States 1793-1980) for 1976.  (Lt mintages for 1 and 5 Sentimo coins and VDM mintages for 10 and 25 Sentimo and 1 Piso are all each listed in the Krause catalog as being 10,000,000.)
Since both kinds (US Mint and Lt or VDM) are listed separately, is that to imply that there might be some diagnostic by which the US and foreign versions of the coins can be told apart?  (I already know that the Franklin Mint issues all have the "f" mintmark.)  If so, then what would those diagnostics be?
On a closely related note:  The US Mint Reports book does not list any further mintages of Philippine coins beyond the 1976 strikes mentioned here, apart from a small run of 1,088,000 5 Sentimo coins as the last and only Philippine coins struck by the US Mint, in 1977.  Yet the Krause Catalog lists 1976 versions for each of these denominations, all identified as being US minted.  And there does seem to be some consensus that the 1976 Philippine coins were struck in the US.  I note however, with these, that the mintages given for each in the Krause catalog are simply the mintages given for the 1975 coins repeated, but truncated to the whole millions (1 Sentimo, 60,000,000; 5 Sentimo, 98,000,000; others same as for 1975).  Perhaps some of the 60,190,000 1 Sentimo coins struck in 1976 were dated 1975 and the remainder 1976, and the same for the other denominations?  As I only have the one Mint report volume for 1793-1980, perhaps the individual reports for 1975, 1976, and 1977, or some other source, might be able to lay out the actual number minted with each date?

Answer
Hi Griff,
The Franklin Mint pieces are not considered as being for regular circulation, as is often the case with their coins (which usually come in matte and proof versions).
My research leads me to the following bit of info:

" The regular circulating coins for 1975 were struck at different mints - the 1c and 5c were struck at the Royal Mint of London while the 10c, 25, and 1P were minted by the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallweke in West Germany. In 1976, all coins were struck at the U.S. Mint.
With the establishment by the Central Bank of its own Mint in Quezon City, the regular circulating coins for 1977 and subsequent years have been struck locally. In 1979, a new mintmark, "BSP" for Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas, was added on the reverse of the Philippine-minted coins.
The new denomination of the ABL coins (5P, 25P and 50P) though considered commemorative, have legal tender status and are circulating albeit in a limited scale to fulfill the requirements of the proof coin program initiated by the Central Bank in 1975."

For telling them apart, there woukld certainly be slight differences in the dies. It may take a detailed analysis under amgniication to find them though, as there are no mint marks for direct and easy comparison.

As far as the mintage numbers in Krause, don't rely on them too much. The Krause books are notorious for not being properly edited for accuracy and typographical mistakes.

Thanks for the question! =)