The Lowly Philippine Half Centavo

The current day Philippine peso definitely cannot get one a bagful of pan de sal, the islands’ bread staple. Imagine what a half centavo could purchase!

Next to nothing. Plus, there is no issue of half centavo on the current set of coins.

However, once upon a time, half centavos were in circulation and did have real purchasing value. During the American occupation of the islands, half centavos were struck for two years – 1903 and 1904. They were quite small in size, especially compared with the rather hefty centavo coins, which as kids we used to call “isa ka daku”, literally meaning, a big one. Of the two years of mint, 1903 is considered easier to find. My tough luck, since my hoard is of the 1903 variety.

Originally colored red or maybe red brown, their small size worked against them. They easily got misplaced. Though struck only for two years, there should be out there tucked snugly in some collectors’ albums or montage, sufficient quantities that could translate to some windfall. The humid tropics are known to be harsh to metals, but basic care to keep them well preserved should not be very difficult.

Based on condition, a half centavo could command as much as US$2,000 – if you can find one. Based on current foreign exchange rates, that would be 100,000 pesos!

Here’s a current offering on EBay.

Maybe it's time again to rummage through Lolo’s or Lola’s old aparador of trinkets and odds-and-ends.

A little added trivia. In 1913, the local Bureau of Health issued the Culion Leper Colony half centavo. To those unfamiliar, Culion island, part of Palawan, was (is?) a leper colony ran by the bureau, where lepers could be isolated and treated. An uncle doctor was assigned there when I was a kid and thus, I spent part of my youth in the island among the lepers as a chaperone of my grandmother.

Learning Is Never Dull

In this fabled land of milk and honey, of roads made of gold, of a veritable cornucopia of abundance and opulence, savvy entrepreneurs relentlessly devise ways and means to cater to the insatiable drives of the citizenry desirous of claiming a yearned-for piece of the above, i.e., in pursuit of their American “dreams”. And the menu of choices are just as varied as the cosmopolitan ethnicities of the population, and the diversity of moral, political, social, etc. orientation and persuasion of the populace.

In highlighting one such endeavor, The Learning Annex, we get to see the dizzying diversity of options available and open to those seeking to pursue their own individual goals.

And from its descriptive name, the Learning Annex, is one such enterprise catering to providing and equipping those interested with skills and attitudes custom designed for their specific requirements.

Here’s the company overview from its website:

The Learning Annex is the premier producer of seminars, lectures, classes and workshops throughout the United States and Canada. We provide our students with the tools they need to change careers, make more money, improve their relationships, empower their lives and support personal and spiritual growth. We offer over 8000 events a year!

Our monthly magazine reaches over 2.5 million people. It is distributed through the mail, in street kiosks and retail outlets. Learning Annex students enjoy unprecedented access—at modest prices—to best-selling authors, show-business luminaries and high profile, powerful industry leaders who share their expertise in formats ranging from 3-hour classes to weekend events.

Our courses range in diversity from powerful lectures by such speakers as Donald Trump, Larry King, Jerry Lewis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Henry Kissinger, Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Barbara Bush, P. Diddy, Sylvia Browne, James Van Praagh and Robert Kiyosaki to our “How To” seminars ranging from writing a business plan, investing in Real Estate, and succeeding in the music business to social activities like our Whitewater Rafting trip and Wine Tastings.

Over our 25-year history, The Learning Annex has become so recognizable in contemporary culture that we have been featured in hit shows such as Sex and The City, Six Feet Under, The Simpsons, Will and Grace, Dharma and Greg, to name a few. Additionally, Mad TV, Saturday Night Live and Jay Leno have incorporated The Learning Annex into their parodies.

The Learning Annex continues to enlighten millions of students seeking a casual and practical learning environment. Within the last year we have expanded our reach with our online audio and video classes and a new book series available in stores nationwide. In 2004 we successfully launched The Learning Annex Real Estate Wealth Expo where twenty one thousand students came to the Jacob Javits Center in NYC to learn from Donald Trump, Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki, Suze Orman, Rudy Giuliani and 72 other Real Estate and Wealth Experts. In 2005 we expanded our Real Estate Wealth Expo to 3 cities, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Over 46,000 people attended in Los Angeles. In 2006 Learning Annex will launch a national tour in 7 cities. For more information visit www.RealEstateWealthExpo.com.

The Learning Annex is committed to impacting and improving the quality of people’s lives through powerful, practical, and insightful classes, workshops, seminars and expos

Aside from having all relevant information neatly provided in its website, it also publishes in different localities (the one featured above is for the San Francisco area) regularly a glossy-covered magazine made available in many locations, usually outside well-patronized stores, for free.

Consider the myriad of course choices available at any given time, from the mainstream to the very pioneering or exotic. Like how exotic can it get when one of the courses offered is about getting started in porn films lectured by an experienced and well-known porn artist. With appropriate demos, I suppose.

Here’s a random sampling of the courses offered in the magazine, whose cover is featured above.

They can be as mainstream as learning the new-fangled technologies required in the corporate world and in one’s own business: (CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE)





















Or as ancient as lessons on how to get rich:




















Or learning to dance or play an instrument:

















Or the old game of SEX and its many allures:




















Or going beyond into more uninhibited behavior:

US$1,322,500 For Your Old Nickel Or Half-Dime

In the wonderful world of numismatics, the incredible values for collecting do not stop with the acquisition of the precious object desired. Aside from the joys and excitement of possessing a rare and history-filled little piece of metal, there is the added boon that someday it could translate into a financial windfall for the hoarder.

Here’s a typical example as reflected by this little bit of news from the world of coin collecting.

A 1792 half dime, believed to be one of the first coins minted by the United States, was sold at auction for more than $1.3 million Thursday night at the Central States Numismatic Society convention, officials said.

The bidding began at $750,000 and advanced to $1.15 million. With a 15 percent buyer's premium added on, the coin sold for $1,322,500.

Two worn 1792 half dimes, or "disme" as it was originally spelled, also were sold at the convention for $14,950 and $69,000, respectively.

When I first read this, careening thoughts raced in my mind, faster than the feet that would carry me to my little stash, consisting of about a dozen folders all filled with various mounted coins from various countries.



Eureka! I have a similar coin – A half-dime dated 1868. Struck and minted 76 years later than the one that sold.

So how much is it worth? Anywhere near $1.3 million? $14K? or $69K?

Can’t tell. Coin collecting unfortunately is not that simple to learn and discern. A professional appraiser will have to be consulted.

Now for those of you out there. Not to despair. Some generous and affluent gentleman is giving away priceless gems of – guess what – old pennies. You know, those little insignificant copper pennies that you like to toss aside or just throw away to the garbage can, sidewalk, or wherever place you find yourself when that loose change is handed over to you.

Outside the Nasdaq offices in New York City, Travers dispersed the first of three coins — all pennies — at a food vending stand just this week: a 1914-D Lincoln cent valued at $300.

On Tuesday Travers will spend two more pennies — a 1908-S Indian Head cent and a 1909-S VDB Lincoln Head cent valued respectively at $200 and $1,000 apiece.

So how do you know if you've got the lucky penny worth $1,000? Travers says, "On the front of the coin is the year 1909, and under the year is the mint mark "S," meaning it was minted in San Francisco. On the reverse of the coin are the designer's initials — V.D.B. (Victor David Brenner)."