Obverse
Image of a blacksmith seated beside his anvil while holding his hammer. In the right background is the image of an active Mayon Volcano "Five Centavos" “Filipinas”
Reverse
Eagle with wings spread above stars and stripes shield "United States of America"
Note
Half Centavo was referred to as “kusing” by Filipino’s during the American rule in the Philippine Islands. In , it became clear to the authorities that the Half Centavo was too small and is not needed as a denomination, and came to a point that it is being forced by the authorities into circulation. Civil Governor Luke E. Wright recommended the permanent cessation of the denomination, and his proposal was quickly approved. On , a new contract to manufacture One Centavo planchet from unused Half Centavo planchet was authorized.
In , Governor-General James F. Smith received permission to send 37,927 pesos of Half Centavo coin (7,585,400 pieces) to the San Francisco Mint, USA for melting and for re-coining into one centavo coin. In , the Half Centavo coin were shipped from the Philippine Islands, and most of them were actually used for the new One Centavo coin.
The Half Centavo was included in all Proof sets despite being recalled as a circulating coin.
Remarks
King Farouk of Egypt amassed one of the most famous coin collections in history which included many extremely rare coin and some are unique. King Farouk owned many “pattern coins” from many countries that were made specifically for him, so it is highly likely many government Mints made a “pattern coin” for him at the time he collected. King Farouk was overthrown by the Egyptian Revolution of and was exiled out of the country. The Egyptian government hired Baldwin and Co. of London, UK, to catalog the collection and Sotheby and Co. of London, UK, publishing the catalog, which was eventually sold by the Egyptian government in . The coins and medals volume was one of a set of Sotheby catalogs entitled The Palace Collections of Egypt, which offered several categories of the king's collectibles, but did not mention King Farouk by name.
Remarks 2
The Philadelphia Mint struck additional "non-proof" 10,000 7-coin uncirculated sets ordered by the widely known numismatist, soon president of the American Numismatic Association Farran Zerbe, for sale at the Philippine Exhibit as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis held in . These additional "non-proof" 10,000 sets are generally well struck and most resembles a proof-like appearance. The demand did not exceed the supply of these "non-proof" uncirculated sets, and only 3,254 were sold at the exposition. The remaining 6,746 sets were sent to the Philippine Treasury in Manila, Philippine Island, where another 500 sets were sold by the Treasury. The 6,246 unsold sets were ultimately released into general circulation as ordinary coin.