Battle of Mactan Medals
Earl Honeycutt and Sandy Lichauco

Three new medals are currently available in Manila to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Mactan. The battle occurred on April 27, 1521 and resulted in the death of Ferdinand Magellan and a number of his crew. Magellan and his men were attempting the first circumnavigation of the world while also converting local populations to Catholicism. After baptizing Humabon the Rajah of Sugbo (Cebu) Rajah Humabon sent word to Mactan Island, a short distance across a channel, to provide provisions for the Spanish expedition and to accept Catholicism. Lapulapu, one of two Datus of Mactan, refused to comply and Magellan took his warriors into battle with Lapulapu to force compliance. When the Spaniards arrived, they were met by a large number of Philippine pintados or After the conclusion of the battle, the Spanish landing was repelled and Magellan was fatally wounded. Because of his defiance of the European invaders, Filipinos view Lapulapu as the first Philippine hero. To commemorate this historic event on the 500th Anniversary, three medals are being offered.

The first medal is minted by the Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP or Central Bank of the Philippines) and is 38.6 mm in diameter and 99.9% silver. The obverse side of the commemorative medal has markings placed on the image of the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Cebu and the logos of the BSP and QCP. The reverse side has the markings of above the rendition of the battle and an engraved date This medal is minted in limited numbers and already sells for a huge premium over the BSP initial price of $75. Some early sellers on Ebay® asked $300+ for the medal. More recent pricing is $220.

The second medal is comprised of a zinc alloy, is 40 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. The obverse of the medal depicts a Spanish ship, a large rendition of Lapulapu, and The reverse has and Datu Lapulapu framed by a starburst. With a mintage of 300 pieces, the Mactan medal is the first of 10 historical medals offered by Numisworks that are selling for $20-25 per medal.

The third medal produced by Alamat Commemorative Coins is 32 mm Silver Plated Brass and is 2.5 mm thick. The obverse lists a bust, and The reverse is and depicts a battle scene. Accurate pricing is not known at this time.

Collectors are encouraged to monitor eBay offerings under or ask family or friends in the Philippines to purchase for them as they come available. The three medals will be listed in Honeycutt's (4th edition planned for 2023) as H-899-10 (BSP), H-899-11 (Numisworks), and H-899-12 (Alamat).

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
NEW BOOK: PHILIPPINE MEDALS AND TOKENS, 3RD ED.(https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n27a03.html)
BOOK REVIEW: PHILIPPINE MEDALS & TOKENS, 3RD ED.(https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n28a05.html)