old money is old

[afuna_archive]

While renovating my grandfather's old room, we found an envelope full of old paper money. It's weird to see just how much things have changed. I'll see if I can get a good image of them, and I'll try to get the modern equivalent as well ;)

There are bills from the time of four different presidents: Ramon Magsaysay, Carlo P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, and Ferdinand Marcos. The weird thing is that the design reminds me more of US dollar bills than the modern incarnations. The text is even in English instead of in Filipino.

I wonder when the currency was redesigned? Also, anyone with a better grasp of history able to tell me how old these bills probably are (based on the presidents who signed them)?

Update:
Looking at the bills individually now, and I'm pretty sure that the redesign was done in Marcos' time. The money signed by all the other presidents is in the old style, and looks more like the dollar. All the bills with Marcos' name on them have had a facelift, and they are much closer to the modern version.

The old-style bills have this line running across the bottom: "This note is legal tender in the Philippines for all debts, public and private" (emphasis mine). Sound familiar to anyone? The Marcos bills have the same text translated into Filipino.

They all look like play money.

This is seriously, seriously cool.

Update 2:
I just found a 10-peso bill with Marcos' signature, which makes sense because he couldn't have started redesigning the money until he started his term, so he'd have needed to go with the old-style bills first.

I've also found a one-peso bill. Hahaha!

Front, compared to the modern $1 bill:



Back view:


The front and back of a PHP100 bill, so you can see how different the layout of the modern peso is:

Comments

[ciaran-h.livejournal.com]

Who needs a grasp on history when you can have a grasp on Wikipedia? :P

Carlos Polistico Garcia (not Carlo :P) was president from 1957-1961. Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was straight after, from 1961-1965. Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralín Marcos was from 1966-1986.
So, yes, the earliest of those is at least 46 years old, and possibly up to 50. The latest is at least 21 years old, and possibly up to 41. :D

[ciaran-h.livejournal.com]

And since you went and changed your post by adding Ramon Magsaysay, now I need to say he served from 1953-1957. ;p

[afuna]

*groans* One of these days, I'll learn not to ask the obvious questions. Hm With the addition of Ramon Magsaysay then, the earliest is at least 50, and the oldest possibly up to 54? ;)