500 Pesos

Pick 51 covers a long print run — thirty years during which Mexico's economy transformed dramatically, and the 500 Peso denomination shifted from representing serious purchasing power to something considerably more modest. The American Bank Note Company held the Banco de México contract for much of the mid-century, and their intaglio work on this series is among the more technically accomplished of their Latin American output from the period.

The extended date range means collectors encounter considerable variety in signatures, series letters, and subtle plate differences. Early 1948 printings and late 1970s examples carry meaningfully different survival rates — high-denomination notes from the earlier issues circulated hard and wore out, while inflationary pressure in the later years produced higher print volumes.