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1 Barilla
| Issuer | City of Manila |
|---|---|
| Year | 1766 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A crowned cartouche with elaborate scrollwork supporters frames a central shield depicting a rampant lion holding a sword, set above stylized waves. The royal crown above the cartouche features trefoil ornaments. The denomination letters B and I flank the shield at left and right respectively, denoting 'Barilla I'. The design is enclosed within a beaded inner circle and a denticulated outer border consistent with the obverse treatment. |
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| Additional information |
The barilla was the smallest denomination in circulation in colonial Manila, and this 1766 piece represents one of the earliest municipally-issued coins in Philippine history. The City of Manila operated under a cabildo system granted by Spanish colonial authority, and the right to strike local copper coinage for petty transactions was a pragmatic concession to the chronic shortage of small change that plagued the colony throughout the eighteenth century.
Spanish silver consistently drained eastward through the galleon trade to China, leaving virtually nothing below the reale level for everyday commerce. KM#1 designation confirms this as the foundational type of Philippine municipal coinage.