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When was the Manila Mint generally accepted as a U.S. branch mint?
CaptHenway
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There is a discussion on Facebook about Coin World’s 1962 medals depicting eight US mints, but not Manila. It is my recollection that through the 1970’s at least, and probably later, Manila was not commonly thought of as a US mint. When did the hobby accept it as such?
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
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I'm not sure they ever have. US-Phiippines collectors do but they make up a very small segment of the US collector population. For most of the rest it is something that is in the back of the Red Book that they don't pay much attention to.
I would ask what did Congress call it when it was authorized.
When creating the Dalles City Mint, Congress explicitly called it a Branch Mint.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1022172/the-us-congress-act-to-create-a-us-branch-mint-in-dalles-city-oregon
No mention of "branch" in the Congressional act to to create the Manila Mint:
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/57th-congress/session-1/c57s1ch1369.pdf
what about the Denver Mint authorization, does it call that one a Branch Mint??
Good question Al!
And yes, Denver was created as a branch mint.
Since the Manila Mint was creating Pesos and Centavos, it may not have been seen as a branch of the Philadelphia Mint.
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/53rd-congress/session-3/c53s3ch105.pdf
San Francisco was created as "a Branch of the Mint":
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/32nd-congress/session-1/c32s1ch54.pdf
That's one difference. Another big difference is that the legislation establishing the branch mints actually established the branch mints. The legislation related to Manila didn't establish a mint, but permitted the Philippine government to do so, provided they follow subsequently stated coinage rules.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
Agreed. Also, by the time the San Francisco and Denver mints were authorized, they were in states, not territories. The Philippines never became a state.
1962 was only 16 years after the US granted the Philippines independence. Perhaps one reason for the omission of Manila was to downplay any sort of imperialism that a squashed rebellion and close to 50 years U.S. sovereignty may have implied.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
When did people start promoting Manila as a US Mint? Did it coincide with promotion of USPI coin collecting?
in reality, it is just a matter of semantics.
was the Philippine facility a Mint?? if not, what was it?? was the Philippine facility under the jurisdiction of the United States?? if not, who controlled and owned it?? the fact that it doesn't specifically state "Branch" in the legislation doesn't really mean a lot unless you need to win an argument. in that case you're probably correct.
in short, if it walks like a Duck and quacks like a Duck it's most likely a Duck.
Medals commemorate opening of United States Mint in Manila, Philippine Islands, July 16, 1920--only overseas mint ever established by our country.
This Doesn't answer the question, but is interesting, IMHO
The Manila Mint and the End of the Colonial era
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I agree it's nice to think of it as a US Mint as it was under the auspices of the US. The coins even say "United States of America" on them!
When did USPI coins start getting the attention of US coin collectors? Was it about the same time as Trade Dollars?
Here's one of my USPI coins which prominently says "United States of America", though struck before the Manila Mint was set up:
I received the following email from numismatic researcher Extraordinaire David Lange, reprinted here with permission:
Hi Tom,
I saw your question about the Manila Mint ATS. Collectors began calling it a U. S. Mint about the time that this coin series became popular in the 1980s.
A reading of the enacting legislation reveals that it was not a U. S. Mint, as it wasn't under the direction of the Bureau of the Mint, United States Treasury Department. Instead, it was under the Bureau of Insular Affairs, which managed the entire governance of the The Philippines starting 1902. Direct management may have changed when the islands gained commonwealth status in 1935, but I don't have that info at hand.
Basically, the U. S. Mint served as a contractor to BIA, providing coins as it would to any foreign nation. Starting when the Manila Mint opened in 1920, it further provided the new mint's equipment and dies. I don't know whether it provided planchets, too, but I doubt that these were made locally. They may have been provided by an American commercial firm.
Dave
as I said earlier, it is simply semantics.
I remember when I first joined this forum, the Manila Mint was mentioned as the answer to, what used to be an extremely tough trivia question that stumped most participants.
Probably not so much anymore.