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.


NOTE: Click on any photo to load a much larger version of either the obverse or reverse sides of the coin.
Once that photo has loaded on screen, if you click it again you will see a huge photo which allows you to see every fine detail.

Part 5: Coins of the Leper Colonies in the Philippines
The American involvement in the Philippines started in the 1800's with the Americans establishing a Board of Health in 1898. In 1915 the name of the Board of Health was changed to the Philippine Health Service. A leper colony was proposed by the Americans in 1902 to help prevent the spread of leprosy. The island of Culion was chosen and the first 370 patients arrived on May 27, 1906.

From 1914 to 1921, Culion enjoyed a reputation for being the largest leper colony in the world.

The Philippine government and the Philippine Health Service issued aluminum coins for Culion in 1913 and 1920, but it was found that the aluminum did not hold up well to the caustic chemicals used in the disinfection process, so for the 1922 and later mintages they used a cupro-nickel alloy of 75% Cu and 25% Ni.

A set of photos taken by Eleanor Roosevelt during an inspection tour of the colony by herself and her husband Franklin.

A modern day photo of the former colony.
A view of one of the hospital wards.
Year: 1913
Denomination: 1/2 Centavo


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of dots.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1913
Denomination: 1 Centavo


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1913
Denomination: 5 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1913
Denomination: 10 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1913
Denomination: 20 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1913
Denomination: 1 Peso


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1920
Denomination: 10 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1920
Denomination: 20 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1920
Denomination: 1 Peso


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "BUREAU OF HEALTH" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination.

Composition: Aluminum.
Year: 1922
Denomination: 20 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination, circular counter-mark that reads "PhM" which stands for the Philippine Mint.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.

NOTE: Staring in 1922 all coins were made of a copper-nickel alloy. This change was made because the coins were cleaned weekly, and the chemicals used were degrading the aluminum coins too quickly.
Year: 1922
Denomination: 1 Peso
Variety: Curved Wings


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination, circular counter-mark that reads "PhM" which stands for the Philippine Mint.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.
Year: 1922
Denomination: 1 Peso
Variety: Straight Wings


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and year of issue, separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Cadeuceus symbol

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: Denomination, circular counter-mark that reads "PhM" which stands for the Philippine Mint.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.
Year: 1925
Denomination: 1 Peso


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: The likeness of Dr. Jose Rizal, a martyr to the cause of Philippine independence.

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and denomination, separated by a pair of stars.
(The star to the left has a P below it, while the star to the right has an M below it. These make up the mint mark - PM stands for Philippine Mint).
- Center: The coat of arms of the Phillipine Health Services, with the year of issue above the denomination.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.
Year: 1927
Denomination: 1 Centavo
There are THREE varieties of this coin. This is the Type 1 (KM-3) variety with one button on Bonifacio's jacket on the obverse and a straight "S" on the shield on the reverse.

Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: The likeness of Filipino revolutionary hero Apolinario Mabini.

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and denomination, separated by a pair of stars.
(The star to the left has a P below it, while the star to the right has an M below it. These make up the mint mark - PM stands for Philippine Mint).
- Center: The coat of arms of the Phillipine Health Services, with the year of issue above the denomination.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.
Year: 1927
Denomination: 1 Centavo
There are THREE varieties of this coin. This is the Type 2 (KM-4) variety with one button on Bonifacio's jacket on the obverse and a right slanted "S" on the shield on the reverse.

Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: The likeness of Filipino revolutionary hero Apolinario Mabini.

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and denomination, separated by a pair of stars.
(The star to the left has a P below it, while the star to the right has an M below it. These make up the mint mark - PM stands for Philippine Mint).
- Center: The coat of arms of the Phillipine Health Services, with the year of issue above the denomination.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.
Year: 1927
Denomination: 1 Centavo
There are THREE varieties of this coin. This is the Type 3 (KM-A5) variety with TWO buttons on Bonifacio's jacket on the obverse, and a straight "S" on the shield on the reverse.

Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: The likeness of Filipino revolutionary hero Apolinario Mabini.

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and denomination, separated by a pair of stars.
(The star to the left has a P below it, while the star to the right has an M below it. These make up the mint mark - PM stands for Philippine Mint).
- Center: The coat of arms of the Phillipine Health Services, with the year of issue above the denomination.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.
Year: 1927
Denomination: 5 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "CULION LEPER COLONY" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of stars.
- Center: The likeness of Dr. Jose Rizal, a martyr to the cause of Philippine independence.

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE" and denomination, separated by a pair of stars.
(The star to the left has a P below it, while the star to the right has an M below it. These make up the mint mark - PM stands for Philippine Mint).
- Center: The coat of arms of the Phillipine Health Services, with the year of issue above the denomination.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.
SIMULATION ONLY - Photos of a real 1930 1 Centavo coin could not be found:
Year: 1930
Denomination: 1 Centavo


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "LEPER COLONIES AND STATIONS" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of dots.
- Center: The likeness of Dr. Jose Rizal, a martyr to the cause of Philippine independence.

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE", "LEPER COIN" and the denomination, separated by a pair of dots.
- Center: Denomination above, issue date below.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.

NOTE: The photos shown here are a mockup of what I imagine the real 1930 1 Centavo coin would look like, based on the design of the 10 Centavo coin. Photos of a real coin could not be found.
Year: 1930
Denomination: 10 Centavos


Obverse:
- Outer Rim: "LEPER COLONIES AND STATIONS" and "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS" separated by a pair of dots.
- Center: The likeness of Andres Bonifacio, a hero of the Philippine Revolution.

Reverse:
- Outer Rim: "PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICE", "LEPER COIN" and the denomination, separated by a pair of dots.
- Center: Denomination above, issue date below.

Composition: Cupro-Nickel.


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