PAPER MONEY OF MEXICO

The US Mexican Numismatic Association is developing a comprehensive online history of Mexican currency, from the earliest necessity issue at the time of the War of Independence through to other emergency issues caused by the silver shortage in 1943. It includes the various national and state banks of issue, and all the private and factional issues, but not the issues of the Banco de México.

The information is presented in the "The History" section by state and in roughly chronological order. National issues and events can usually be found in the Federal District section.

Sources are, wherever possible, original documentation and so we have included texts of the relevant decrees, circulars and other correspondence in the section headed "Documents". We have also included images of many of the notes, particularly the backs, which are neglected in most catalogues but are not only often pleasing to the eye but also a deep source of information about origins, issuers and dates of use and redemption.

This is a collaborative effort and members are asked to contribute additional information. We particularly hope that other collectors will provide extra details about personnel (particularly signatories), issues, date and signature combinations, number ranges, security marks, branch overprints etc. to fill out the tables for the various banks. All contributors will be acknowledged and, where sizeable, given their own byline.

The major areas where help is needed are:

(1) Details of the bank issues – to complete the tables with dates of issue, dates on notes (not the same), series and serial numbers, signatures, security codes, overprints and any other relevant information. For serial numbers we are looking for numbers that extend the current ranges.

(2) We have a vision of doing the same with the revolutionary issues, even the exclusively local issues, tracking down details of the amounts authorised, issued and recalled, and the people and reasons behind the issues. This often depends on people having access to local knowledge or family histories.

(3) Biographies of signatories. Necessary to fill out the picture, but these also leads to amusing diversions.

(4) Images of notes where they are missing, particularly of reverses and branch overprints.

(5) We would also like to add more photographs for, even though after a while all bewhiskered Porfirians or uniformed revolutionaries appear the same, they add a personal element and better empathy. As do contemporary postcards of bank branches and other places of issue.

(6) Details of withdrawals, cancellations and incinerations. The banks publicly recorded Notes in circulation up to the time that Carranza's commission withdrew most of their concessions: however, many continued to operate for several years into the 1920s and 1930s, redeeming their notes. With this information we can see how many notes actually survived, before another century also took its toll on their number.

(7) The text of relevant documents, e.g. decrees and circulars, and images of printed posters and flyers.

(8) References to, or examples of, previously unknown issues.

To visit the website, see:
https://papermoneyofmexico.com/

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