1 peso 1915
About This Note
This is a Mexican 1 peso banknote from 1915, issued by the Ejercito Constitucionalista's División de Occidente in Guadalajara during the Mexican Revolution. The note features a bearded gentleman in formal dress within an ornate oval frame on the obverse, alongside an impressive colonial institutional building, with the reverse displaying the Mexican national coat of arms (eagle) in a radiant circular frame. In Fair condition, the note displays moderate to significant age-related wear including fold creases, foxing, and yellowing consistent with over 100 years of storage and circulation, making it a historically significant artifact of Mexico's revolutionary period.
Common. While this is a revolutionary-period emission from a specific regional military division, Pick catalog numbers S860 and related contemporary Mexican revolutionary issues from 1915 are generally available in the collector market. The note shows circulation wear and the fact that it survives in Fair condition suggests adequate print runs were produced. Revolutionary-period Mexican notes, while historically significant, were issued in quantities sufficient to supply military and civilian economies in contested territories, and examples remain obtainable for modest prices. The specific issuer (División de Occidente) and denomination combination is not among the rarest of Mexican revolutionary notes.
This banknote was issued during the Mexican Revolution by the Constitutionalist Army's Western Division on January 20, 1915, representing an attempt to establish monetary authority during the conflict. The inscription referencing Venustiano Carranza's decree of September 19, 1914, reflects the struggle for governmental legitimacy as competing factions issued their own currency. The denomination's declaration that it would circulate under the January 20, 1915 decree underscores the provisional nature of these revolutionary emissions, which were produced to finance military operations and administrative functions in territories controlled by Constitutionalist forces.
The obverse features a portrait of a bearded gentleman in formal dark attire, positioned in profile facing left within an ornate oval decorative frame embellished with scrollwork and circular emblems bearing the letter 'T' on either side. To the right stands a grand colonial-style institutional building with multiple stories, ornate architectural details, columns, arched windows, and a visible courtyard or plaza—likely representing a significant Mexican government building or treasury. The reverse displays the Mexican national coat of arms (an eagle with spread wings) as the central focal point, enclosed within an elaborate circular frame with radiating fan-like ornamental patterns. The entire design is framed by geometric and organic ornamental borders, corner emblems with the letter 'T', and rosette and floral-inspired decorative patterns. The light peachy-pink obverse and red/cream reverse color scheme is consistent with period printing methods.
FRONT: 'SERIE A' (Series A); 'LIBERTAD CONSTITUCIONAL' (Constitutional Liberty); 'DIVISION DE OCCIDENTE' (Western Division); 'UN PESO' (One Peso); 'LA TESORERIA DE LA NACION, PAGARA EL IMPORTE DE ESTE DOCUMENTO, EN BILLETES DE LOS EMITIDOS SEGUN DECRETO DE 19 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1914 EXPEDIDO POR EL SR. CARRANZA' (The National Treasury will pay the amount of this document in notes issued according to the Decree of September 19, 1914 issued by Mr. Carranza); 'GUADALAJARA, ENERO 20 DE 1915' (Guadalajara, January 20, 1915); Serial number '461799'. BACK: 'ESTE BILLETE CIRCULARA FORZOSAMENTE DE ACUERDO CON EL DECRETO DE 20 DE ENERO DE 1915' (This banknote will circulate necessarily by agreement with the Decree of January 20, 1915).
The note was produced using engraved intaglio printing, evidenced by the fine line work, intricate ornamental patterns, and the precision visible in the decorative borders, scrollwork, and facial details of the portrait. The complexity of the radiating patterns on the reverse and the multiple layers of decorative framing are characteristic of high-quality security printing of the period. While specific printer attribution for Pick P-S860 would require additional reference materials, Mexican revolutionary emissions of 1914-1915 were typically produced by various Mexican print shops attempting to meet the urgent demands of competing military factions.
Series A is indicated, with serial number 461799 printed in red. The note is dated January 20, 1915 in Guadalajara. Varieties for this Pick number may exist based on series designations (A, B, C, etc.), serial number ranges, and signature variants visible in the lower portion of the obverse. The specific signatures and any plate variations would require comparison with cataloged examples, but the Series A designation and red serial number printing are documented characteristics of this emission.
