I've noticed that some of the coins in the catalog of Philippine coins were to be edited. Bust of Philippine heroes on coins should always be the obverse side. I don't know if it matters but I should ask it anyway. Here are some:
I disagree. I checked also from numismaster site and it's say I'm right. Besides, I grew up in the Philippines so I should know. We (Filipinos) think it's being disrespectful for national heroes to be on reverse side of the coin.
No, the obverse shows the common side, in this case the Philippines coat of arms, or the seal of the national bank. Similarly, the UK has the Queen on the obverse, whatever is on the reverse.
For example, this has the coat of arms on the obverse, and this has not changed, except for the replacement by the seal of the bank.
Catalogue referee for British, English and Scottish coins.
Le référent pour des pièces britannique, anglais et écossais.
But based on Numista rules we usually have consistent sides on the obverse and facial values on the reverse. Philippine coins fit this perfectly, so I see no need to change them back, even if the locals see it differently.
Kenny
- Verifying your Asian and British-territorial coins everyday with the best quality photos and the best information.
But The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas logo is not even consistent or does not appear on most coins. The consistent I can think of is there's always a national hero on one of the sides. Check examples below, one of the coins don't have the BSP logo. I don't get the idea why a national hero is on obverse and the other is in reverse when they are both have the same value of coin.
All coins (and bills) in the Philippines have a national hero on every denominations. For example, Jose Rizal is always on Philippine 1 Peso and Marcelo Del Pilar is always on 50 cents. The reverse side sometimes changes. Like the UK, the queen is always on obverse side; in the Philippines, the national hero.
In most countries, the coins are identified by the obverse design, so this has a national symbol on it, to represent the country. In the case of the Philippines, the national hero changes, so the identifier must be either the shield of the Philippines or the seal of the bank, or whatever else is in its place.
This is consistent throughout most of the countries of the world, and the Philippines is no exception.
I would suggest that you will not cause any major change to the catalog by persistently arguing, it is universally recognized that this is the case, and whether is it right or wrong that the hero should be on the reverse, it is not going to change.
Catalogue referee for British, English and Scottish coins.
Le référent pour des pièces britannique, anglais et écossais.
Imagine that the Philippines has a King. He would be on the obverse of the coins, the national hero would be on the reverse. Now the Philippines becomes a republic. The shield, as the new national symbol, replaces the king on the obverse to represent the country. The shield now symbolizes the country, just as the king did. It is the obverse.
Catalogue referee for British, English and Scottish coins.
Le référent pour des pièces britannique, anglais et écossais.
As I said, I will not argue anymore. If Numista will not change the images based on records, so be it. I will not be insisting about it. I only raised this question because they differ from the other sources such as Numismaster and Wikipedia. Because I think one of them is definitely wrong. If you says images here on Numista is correct, maybe the one here is wrong:
What about the coins with no hero? It is written all in wikipedia. No, I will not request any modification if you tell me it will not be validated. As I said before, if the images here will not be modified, no problem. I raised the question because they are different from other sources, not to persistently request to change what's in here. It is not a question of what I want, it's just a matter of cross-referencing from valid sources.
This is from the official website of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. It says the BSP logo is on the reverse side of the coin. It answers your question about coins with no hero and just denomination.
Here's a good article to decide which side is the obverse.
The sacred rule number one, not only for Filipinos, is the obverse has the portrait.
I cannot remember any coin from USA, France, Germany, Spain or UK with a bust in the reverse in the Numista record, but I can remember several with the bust of a national hero in the obverse.
The point is: the issuing country decides which is the obverse and reverse side of their coins. I don't see any reason why Numista records should says it otherwise.
The Sower (La Semeuse) is the common obverse. The example you provided is a circulating commemorative, in which they changed the obverse.
The general rule is: if the facial value is large and stands out, generally it goes on the reverse. If a coat of arms, or common design is on any side, such as a monarch, they are on the obverse.
There are a lot of rules regarding obverses and reverses, but Philippine coinage fits the rules perfectly of coat of arms on the obverse and facial value on the reverse.
Kenny
- Verifying your Asian and British-territorial coins everyday with the best quality photos and the best information.
