Leper Colony Coins

This page shares a portion of the content of a presentation on the coins issued to patients at various leper colonies in the first half of the 20th century.
It was delivered at a Saskatoon Coin Club meeting by Richard Bibby in February 2019.

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Part 3: Coins of the Leper Colonies in Colombia
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In Colombia there were three leper colonies and coins were issued in 1901, 1907, 1921 and 1928 for use in all three colonies. Except for the 1907 issue, which has an inscription on the obverse, they all have a cross made of circles on the obverse. (Figure 9) The cross indicates the connection that has existed between Christianity and sufferers of leprosy. These coins from Colombia were minted specifically to be used in a leper colony or lazaretto only. Lazaretto has the same meaning as leprosarium and as can be guessed the name itself references the story of Lazarus in the gospels. The cross that surrounds the word 'LAZARETO' is an allusion to Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy. The lack of a specific name of one of the Colombian leper colonies along with the general reference of "lazareto" means that these coins could have been used in any of the leper colonies. These coins are made of an alloy of cupro-nickel and were washed as often as once a week so they often appear very worn.
	Year: 1901 Denomination: 2.5 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and "Bogota" - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: Denomination (in Spanish) and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto" inside a cross. Composition: Bronze or bronze alloys Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1901 Denomination: 5 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and "Bogota" - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: Denomination (in Spanish) and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto" inside a cross. Composition: Bronze or bronze alloys Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1901 Denomination: 10 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: Denomination. Reverse - Outer Rim: Denomination (in Spanish) and "Bogota" - Center: "Lazareto" inside a cross. Composition: Bronze or bronze alloys Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy. - For this denomination the year of issue has been moved from the reverse to the obverse, and the word "Bogota" has also been moved to the opposite face.
	Year: 1901 Denomination: 20 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: Denomination (in Spanish) and "Bogota" - Center: The Coat of Arms of Colombia. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto" inside a cross. Composition: Bronze or bronze alloys Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1901 Denomination: 50 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: Denomination (in Spanish) and "Bogota" - Center: The Coat of Arms of Colombia. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto" inside a cross. Composition: Bronze or bronze alloys Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy. - For this denomination the separation dots used around the rim of both sides have been replaced by stars.
	Year: 1907 Denomination: 1 Peso Obverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Reverse - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination, initials "P.M." below denomination (see note below). Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The "PM" imprint is the abbreviation of "Papel Moneda" or paper money, to show the equivalency of the coins to Colombian notes.
	Year: 1907 Denomination: 5 Peso Obverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Reverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination, initials "P.M." below denomination (see note below). Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The "PM" imprint is the abbreviation of "Papel Moneda" or paper money, to show the equivalency of the coins to Colombian notes.
	Year: 1907 Denomination: 10 Peso Obverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Reverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination, initials "P.M." below denomination (see note below). Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The "PM" imprint is the abbreviation of "Papel Moneda" or paper money, to show the equivalency of the coins to Colombian notes.
	Year: 1921 Denomination: 1 Centavo Obverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1921 Denomination: 2 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1921 Denomination: 5 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1921 Denomination: 10 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1921 Denomination: 50 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Composition: Cupro-nickel Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
	Year: 1928 Denomination: 50 Centavos Obverse: - Outer Rim: Wreath - Center: Denomination. Reverse: - Outer Rim: "Republica de Colombia" and year of issue - Center: "Lazareto". Composition: Bronze alloy. Notes: - The word "Lazareto" is a term which means Leper Colony. - The cross that surrounds the word "Lazareto" represents the person of Lazarus who is the patron saint of people who are afflicted with leprosy.
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