BSP issues limited edition coins for Pope’s visit

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governors Diwa C. Guinigundo (left) and Vicente S. Aquino shows to the media the PhP50 and PhP500 Pope Francis Commemorative Coins issued by the BSP in connection with the Jan. 15-19, 2015 Papal Visit to the Philippines. BSP says both coins are legal tender and will be sold for PhP100 and PhP1,000, respectively, to cover production costs. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that they will release limited edition commemorative coins in honor of Pope Francis’ visit to the country.

On Wednesday, BSP showed the 50-peso nickel brass coin and 500-peso Nordic Gold coin, which will be sold for P100 and P1,000, respectively. The 500-peso coin has a gold plating and comes in a special box.

Both coins feature Pope Francis’ face, his date of visit to the Philippines, and the words “mercy and compassion”. They are legal tender and were minted with a licensing agreement with the Vatican.

The coins will be available by end of January. For those who are interested to reserve, the order forms are available from the website of BSP. Reservation is until June 2015 online.

Aside from this, BSP also shared that they will issue 1,000-peso silver and 10,000-peso gold Papal commemorative coins by May 2015.

This is not the first time that the Central Bank issued special coins to honor a Papal visit. BSP released special commemorative coins during Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1981 and 1995, and Pope Paul VI’s visit in 1970.