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 4: Coins of the Leper Colonies in Panama
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1919 saw the rise of leper money in the Palo Seco Canal Zone of Panama. These coins which were made of an aluminum alloy were covered by deposits of actual U.S. currency. You will notice that all of the coins minted for this colony feature either a square or round hole in the center. This feature made it easier for victims with appendage loss to handle the coins. All of the coins were approximately the same size as corresponding U.S. coins. It is estimated that 2,000 of the 1-cent denomination were minted and 1,000 of each of the remaining denominations were minted. The coins were eventually withdrawn from circulation in 1952 and most were destroyed November 28th, 1955 by the Maintenance Division in Balboa.
	Year: 1919 (NOT included on the coin's design) Denomination: 1 Cent Obverse: - Outer Rim: PALO SECO CANAL ZONE - Center: Square hole. Reverse: - Outer Rim Top: "REDEEMABLE FOR (denomination in text), - Outer Rim Bottom: (denomination in numerals) "IN MERCHANDISE", - Center: Square hole. Composition: Brass.
	Year: 1919 (NOT included on the coin's design) Denomination: 5 Cents Obverse: - Outer Rim: PALO SECO CANAL ZONE - Center: Square hole. Reverse: - Outer Rim Top: "REDEEMABLE FOR (denomination in text), - Outer Rim Bottom: (denomination in numerals) "IN MERCHANDISE", - Center: Square hole. Composition: Brass.
	Year: 1919 (NOT included on the coin's design) Denomination: 10 Cents Obverse: - Outer Rim: PALO SECO CANAL ZONE - Center: Square hole. Reverse: - Outer Rim Top: "REDEEMABLE FOR (denomination in text), - Outer Rim Bottom: (denomination in numerals) "IN MERCHANDISE", - Center: Round hole. Composition: Aluminum.
	Year: 1919 (NOT included on the coin's design) Denomination: 25 Cents Obverse: - Outer Rim: PALO SECO CANAL ZONE - Center: Square hole. Reverse: - Outer Rim Top: "REDEEMABLE FOR (denomination in text), - Outer Rim Bottom: (denomination in numerals) "IN MERCHANDISE", - Center: Round hole. Composition: Aluminum.
	Year: 1919 (NOT included on the coin's design) Denomination: 50 Cents Obverse: - Outer Rim: PALO SECO CANAL ZONE - Center: Square hole. Reverse: - Outer Rim Top: "REDEEMABLE FOR (denomination in text), - Outer Rim Bottom: (denomination in numerals) "IN MERCHANDISE", - Center: Round hole. Composition: Aluminum.
	Year: 1919 (NOT included on the coin's design) Denomination: 1 Dollar Obverse: - Outer Rim: PALO SECO CANAL ZONE - Center: Square hole. Reverse: - Outer Rim Top: "REDEEMABLE FOR (denomination in text), - Outer Rim Bottom: (denomination in numerals) "IN MERCHANDISE", - Center: Round hole. Composition: Aluminum.
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