EARLY COPPER COINAGE, 1728 -1835
Top of photo shows a uniface (design on one side) copper piece called CONDIN (30 mm) stamped with the full seal of the City of Manila. 

The lower row shows the obverse and reverse of a 1727 Barrilla (18 mm) made from some base metal, probably lead. Both coins from Philippine collections.

The 1728 BARRILLA was first found (and later reported) by Gilbert Perez of the PNAS in the grounds of the University of Santo Tomas which was bring used as an internment camp during the Japanese occupation of Manila. Until a few years ago, it had been commonly accepted by the numismatic community that 1728 was the year when currency with the basic attributes of a modern coin first appeared in the Philippines. As a result of the feverish enthusiasm that had since fueled numismatists, what appear to be even earlier forms of Philippine coins have recently surfaced challenging this long-standing view.

The 1727 BARRILLA featured here, cast from some base metal (probably lead) features on its obverse a lion with the half-body of a fish, wielding a sword between a figure "1" with a monogram that stands for BARRILLA and what appear to be twin globes, pre-dating the famous Dos Mundos of Spanish fame. This lion is one of the main heraldic figures in the royal seal of the City of Manila founded in 1521 by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The reverse shows an "M" which stands for MANILA bounded by a clear date (one year earlier than 1728), ten dots and a star or sunburst.

Even earlier is an undated uniface copper piece (top of photo). Its only inscription appears to be the full seal of the City of Manila consisting of a crowned shield enclosing a fort or tower atop the previously described sea lion. When these uniface pieces first appeared, they were given the name CONDIN and were thought to be government seals or weights rather than coins.

Recent studies of available specimens however show no commonality in weight among the specimens, and while the debate still rages, the view that condins may well have been the first true modern Philippine coins has slowly gained prominence. Mintages of coins above are unknown. At least FIVE examples of condins are known to exist.