"Ang Batang Alaska"
Last month, I watched a Spanish film on Netflix. One of the leading characters in the movie is a Spanish-Filipino actress. I checked her profile online, and one of her past films caught my attention. She was part of a 2016 Spanish film titled "1898, Our last men in the Philippines". Now, 1898 is one of the terrible years for Spain. It was the last year of the Philippine Revolution, and the United States of America was also at war against Spain.
But that's the film and history. As a coin collector, what do you think is the last Spanish Philippine coin? The last Spanish Philippine coin is the Alfonso XIII 1897 UN Peso, a 37mm coin with 90% silver content. The obverse of the coin depicts the boy King Alfonso XIII, the son of the late King Alfonso XII, who died in 1885. Alfonso XIII became king of Spain instantly after he was born in 1886. Pinoy collectors dubbed him "Batang Alaska" or "Alaska Boy" because his bust resembles the picture of a boy in the logo of Alaska Milk. And numismatic books referred to 1897 Un Peso as Alfonsinos.
1897 UN Peso Coin
I like this 1897 Un Peso. It's one of the Spanish Philippine coins that I want to collect more. What is unique about this coin is that it's the first and last silver peso minted by Spain for the Philippines. To know other Spanish colonial coins see One Peso Gold and Silver Coins of the Philippines - Colonial Period.
It also contains the name of the Philippines, like the Isabelinas gold pesos. This UN Peso is very appealing to collectors compared to the Alfonsos silver coins, probably because of its size and silver content, and its price can compete with the common USPI 1 Peso coins. Depending on the coin condition, the price range for 1897 UN Peso can go from 5000 to 10000 PHP. To know other One Peso silver coins in the Philippines see One Peso Silver Coins of the Philippines - Post Colonial Period.
I have purchased two Spanish Philippine 1897 UN Peso Coins from eBay, and the sellers are from Poland/Ukraine. I already had doubts about the authenticity of the coins, but I purchased them anyway because the price was cheap. The coins look authentic, and I can put them in AU-UNC condition. When I was browsing the same item on eBay, there was a posting about this 1897 Un Peso. The seller is selling information he mentioned in the posting description to avoid buying 1897 Un Peso coins from eBay sellers in Ukraine and Poland because they are known to be replicas.
1897 UN Peso Coin from PL/UA
So there are fake 1897 Un Peso sold out there, so be very careful when buying. Sometimes, we can't differentiate the original from the fake. When browsing Alibaba, the 1897 Un Peso was also sold there, but at least the item was labeled replica. So far, the 1897 Un Peso is the only Spanish Philippine coin I know that has replicas.
How about you? How is your Spanish Philippine 1897 Un Peso collection?
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Editors Note: This post was originally published September 5, 2024 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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