The Manila Mint
Did you know that the US minted coins for the Philippines from 1920-1941?
In 1898, the Philippines and Puerto Rico became US possessions after they defeated Spain in the Spanish-American War. But the Philippine economy was too poor to use the US dollar. So, in 1902, Teddy Roosevelt had the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints strike centavos and pesos for use in the Philippines. In 1920, the US reopened the Manila Mint, previously used by the Spanish, and continued striking the coins there. Though the Manila Mint struck coins under US control, technically they came under the Bureau of Insular Affairs, rather than the Bureau of the Mint. In 1935, the US changed the Philippines to a Commonwealth as a 10-year stepping stone to independence.
But in 1941, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. Three years later, the US liberated the Philippines, during which the Manila Mint was destroyed. The Philippines became independent in 1946.
The Manila Mint
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