Philippines Manila Mint Opening Wilson Medal Basic Set, Circulation Strikes (1920)

The Spanish-American War began on April 21, 1898, and ended on August 13, 1898. It was one of the shortest conflicts in U.S. history, and Spain lost that war. As a result, Spain had to relinquish control of Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico. In addition, the United States purchased the Philippines islands from Spain for $20 million when a peace treaty was signed in Paris, France, on December 12, 1898. Coinage for the Philippines was first struck in the United States in 1903 at both the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints, respectively. U.S. Philippines mint sets spanning from 1903 through 1912 under the category Territorial & Private Issues have become a favorite among our members. On July 6th, 1920, the United States opened the Manila Mint in the Philippines, and issued medals to commemorate this auspicious occasion. Medals were struck in copper and silver for the public to purchase. Gold was used to strike a very small quantity that was not released publicly and reserved for dignitaries. President Wilson and Newton D. Baker who was the Secretary of War were both recipients of medals stuck in gold. The obverse of the medal displays a portrait of President Woodrow Wilson, the reverse purportedly depicts Juno Moneta or the "Goddess of Money" holding a scale, and a child. Some of these medals were dumped into Manila Bay which was an attempt by the U.S. to save the Philippines treasury from Japanese invaders. Today, these medals are collected by enthusiasts worldwide, and scoring an example that is graded PCGS MS63 will cost collectors a few thousand dollars.