Catalog
5 Centavos Gobierno Constitucionalista de Mexico
| Issuer | Gobierno Constitucionalista de México |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed on red carton, the obverse carries a central vignette of a standing armored figure holding a staff, rendered in dark ink against the red ground. The curved legend GOBIERNO CONSTITUCIONALISTA DE MEXICO arches above, flanked on both vertical margins by the word TRANSITORIO. The denomination 5c appears in each corner within oval frames, with series designation SERIE B XIV and a serial number printed along the lower portion; a large handwritten authorization rubric is overlaid across the right half of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | REPUBLICA MEXICANA VALE 5 CENTAVOS |
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| Comments |
The Gobierno Constitucionalista was Venustiano Carranza's revolutionary faction, and these tiny carton notes were emergency scrip issued during the chaotic fighting against Huerta's federal forces in 1914. The term "carton" is not metaphor — the stock used was closer to thin cardboard than banknote paper, a direct consequence of wartime material shortages in northern Mexico where Carranza's forces operated.
The extreme small format was deliberate: low denominations needed to function as change, and proper printing resources were scarce. Forgeries and local imitations circulated alongside genuine issues almost immediately.