Guerrero Dos Pesos Series: addition to the catalog

by Angel Smith Herrera

This is a new find in the Guerrero Dos Pesos. The die combination is well known and it actually made its debut in Howland Wood’s The Mexican Revolutionary Coinage 1913-1916, published in 1921, where we find this particular die combination listed as 30a (see his plate XIV) which he uses to illustrate a sub-variety of the standard two pesos “Sun over Mountains” Guerrero type. Other catalog numbers have been assigned to this particular unique die combination, which is always listed as struck on a silver planchet (i.e. Guerrero 12h by Leslie-Stevens) but current collectors may be more used to Guthrie-Bothamley’s Mexican Revolutionary Coinage 1913-1917 (hereinafter “GB”) catalog numbers, which would put it as GB-218, that being a unique marriage of their dies Obverse V and Reverse F, which are the same die numbers found in Carlos Amaya’s Compendio de la Moneda Revolucionaria Mexicana, who lists the silver strike as his A-GO-161.

Obverse V                                                       Reverse F

This coin is struck on a copper planchet and to my knowledge it is previously unreported in such metal. Learning of the existence of this coin triggered a search (not exhaustive) on the most common references and auction catalogs of important revolutionary collections, revealing no listings or records of sales. Interestingly, such research and analysis of actual die state and strike of many photographs of the silver strike reveal that this is very likely a “trial strike” of freshly prepared dies prior to their use for regular production of silver coinage, something that others may call a “pattern”, while I prefer the first term. This conclusion is easy to reach since the copper striking reported herein lacks the die breaks and die damage present on both sides (in addition to other die breaks that appeared later on and even the die clash evident on most pieces): further, the coin was carefully struck with good pressure on a good planchet leaving a complete impression of all legends and die features, something that I have not seen on the regular silver strikes which suffer from weak and incomplete strikes. It is worth mention that at this time I know of two specimens of the copper strike and both feature a good and complete strike in a degree not found on the silver ones.

As with any newly discovered types or varieties there is a need to rule out the possibility of having a counterfeit, particularly in this specific series where some copper counterfeit strikes (which seem to be made from impact transfer dies) are known and have even been reported as real. My analysis of these coins rules out that possibility based on style, strike, size, edge reeding and my personal experience handling this type of coins, supported by the opinions of several numismatic friends who have examined it. Should you decide to study the coin presented herein further, you will note that there are practically no available good (complete) silver strikes from which to produce transfer or electroplate dies or even a mold to cast a similar piece. Also, since this is a unique die marriage of dies V and F as identified above, you may not resort to “copying” or using one side of a well struck coin for the obverse and that of a different well struck coin for the reverse. Moreover, as mentioned above, this is the earliest die state I have found for this particular set of dies.

Atlixtac

The hacienda of Atlixtac, a small but valuable sugarcane farm, belonged to an American named Thomas K. Mathew. It was one of the few haciendas that had modern agricultural and industrial machinery and on a modest scale was the only hacienda that resembled the sugar plantations of Morelos.

General Jesús H. Salgado, who signed the ratification of the Plan of Aya la in San Pablo Oxcotepec on 19 June 1914, was in charge of minting money on Zapata's orders in Atlixtac. to increase commercial transactions as well as combat the high cost of living. The metal was obtained from the Campo Morado mine, in the jurisdiction of Atlixtac.

Salgado was born in Los Sauces, Teloloapan, Guerrero, on 5 February 1873. He was a member of a typical middle class family, dedicating himself to commerce and transport of goods in the village of Balsas. In March 1911 He joined the Maderistas, orgamising a group of men from the region and participated with them in the capture of Iguala, but then became a vazquista.

With the Plan of Ayala, Salgado joined the Zapatista movement, operating in his region, from Balsas to Tlapa and from Copalillo to San Marcos, in Guerrero, and quickly obtaining the rank of major general. On 28 March 1914 he took over as provisional governor of Guerrero, but continued with his military duties. He remained faithful to the Zapatista cause, until his death in combat in 1919.

KM-645 Atlixtac 10c (Stack’s-Bowers Auction, 24 June 2021, lot 72409)

 Only copper 10 centavos coins were minted with the year of 1915 similar to the ESTADO DE GUERRERO coins but with the inscription ‘ATLIXTAC. GRO’. These coins were minted in the sugar mill used as a provisional mint. To mint the obverse of some coins a die made in Taxco was used.

Atlixtac $2

A rare silver 2-peso coin is claimed to be the first coin minted in Atlixtac, but some have suggested that it is a later invention..

(Based on Carlos Abel Amaya Guerra, Compendio de la Moneda de la Revolución Mexicana)

Cacahuatepec

The last dated coins of the Revolution, dated 1917, were issued from Cacahuatepec. The copper 5c and silver 20c and 50c have the legend ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS (the legend of federal coinage of the period) while the silver $1 has  REPUBLICA MEXICANA.

KM-648 Cacahuatepec 5c

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KM-649 Cacahuatepec 10c

KM-650 Cacahuatepec 50c (Stack’s-Bowers Baltimore Auction, 16 November 2012, lot 11442)

KM-651 Cacahuatepec $1 (Stack’s-Bowers Baltimore Auction, 16 November 2012, lot 11443)

Cacalotepec

Once the revolutionaries began to exploit the Campo Morado mine, a mint was established in Cacalotepec, in what is now the house of the Comisaría Municipal. The area was still under Zapatista Army control and still producing in 1917.

Only one coin, a silver 20c, is known from this locality.They were struck with the same obverse die that was also used on Cacahuatepec 20c silver coins.

KM-652; GB-151 Cacalotepec 20c (Stack’s Bowers auction, 1 November 2023, lot 72197)