Insurgent Cast Coinage - Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos and Lva, 1811-12

by Max A Keech

Summary

Prior to obtaining minting equipment in mid-1812, the primary circulating coinage of the Supreme Junta Insurgent Government and its allied forces was a cast silver issue. Sand casts were made of struck Mexico City bust type coins and then validated with various combinations of Supreme Junta Arms, José Morelos, Lva and other casting stamps applied before the metal was allowed to cool. You can think of these stamps like a mintmark indicating the source of the cast coinage. Insurgent casts with multiple casting stamps identify coinage jointly cast by, or distributed to these allied regional Insurgent forces. These Insurgent type casts (i.e. casts from Mexico City bust type coins) are important as the Insurgents’ first widely circulating medium. A small number of coins were also cast using Supreme Junta Eagle on Bridge Divided Legend (Zitácuaro) coins as casting models with applied Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos and Lva casting stamps. By mid-1812 the Supreme Junta leadership separated and Insurgent cooperation declined sharply. Minting equipment was also acquired in Tlalpujahua and, from this time forward, Insurgent coinage was not cast in any discernable quantity. The “Supreme Junta Arms” casting stamp has been previously described as the “Chilpancingo A” counterstamp based on a mistaken attribution that is corrected below.

Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos & Lva Cast 8 Reales

Background

Insurgent Strongholds, circa 1812

The armed forces of the Supreme Junta were in constant need of coinage to pay troops and to buy supplies. Most of the silver obtained by the Insurgents in the early part of the revolution was in the form of captured silver bars which contained approximately 1,100 pesos of silver each. With each peso equivalent to an ounce of silver or one US dollar, these large bars represented a huge sum of money, too big for most commercial transactions and certainly for the payment of troops. Hence, silver bars were melted and cast into coins. Following the formation of the Supreme Junta in August 1811, the Insurgent Government began casting silver coinage from their newly created Eagle on Bridge Divided Legend (Zitácuaro) design. Apparently, these cast quantities were inadequate, probably due to a shortage of struck madres (i.e. “mother” coins used as the models for casting). The solution to their need for additional coinage was simple and familiar. The Supreme Junta created a casting stamp based on the reverse image of their Divided Legend coinage and then cast silver from sand molds made from the readily available Royalist Mexico City bust type coins. This casting stamp is designated the Supreme Junta Arms stamp rather than the misattributed Chilpancingo A stamp for reasons that are explained below. The application of a casting stamp acted as a seal of the issuer and to designate legitimacy. The casting stamp was applied after casting but before the silver was allowed to cool. This is similar to Royalist cast coinage of this period from Chihuahua and Monclova which were validated by applying Royalist casting stamps at the mint.

Insurgent Casts were the Common Currency of Supreme Junta Forces

Other Insurgent forces pledged to the Supreme Junta followed their example and also cast silver from sand molds made from Mexico City bust type coins. To differentiate themselves as issuer, they applied their own casting stamps. It is important to recall that following formation of the Supreme Junta National Government in August 1811, all Insurgent forces were pledged to and under the authority of the Supreme Junta. The Supreme Junta in Zitácuaro, and its subsequent locations, was the political and administrative voice of the Insurgents, while Insurgent armies located elsewhere served as military divisions of the Supreme Junta. These Insurgent forces generally followed the commands of and reported to Supreme Junta leadership. This cooperative and congenial relationship generally held until the leadership’s separation in June 1812 following major strategic disagreements. In the era preceding mid-1812 cast silver was jointly produced with the casting stamps of two, and sometimes three, of these related forces. In fact, more cast silver was produced jointly than produced individually by these Insurgent entities. This collaboration involved at least six different Supreme Junta aligned forces. The primary three; the Supreme Junta, Morelos and an unknown authority utilizing the “Lva” monogram, accounted for the majority of this cast coinage and are the focus of this article. The majority of their cast production consisted of silver eight reales but some minor silver and copper coinage is also known. The cast coinage of these allied Insurgent forces is closely related and, hence, should be treated as a group. These casts made from Royalist bust type madres are collectively referred to as “Insurgent casts”. Traditionally, this cast coinage and its stamps have been cataloged as independent counterstamps which on occasion occur together. Krause, the primary reference catalog, treats them as the independent counterstamps “Chilpancingo”, “LVS” and “Morelos” (the Chilpancingo and LVS misattribution is addressed below). Krause numbers these coins based on the coin used to create the sand mold for casting.

Insurgent Cast Combinations of the “Big Three” Casting Stamps

By collectively considering this cast coinage as a single type, the significance of the Insurgents primary circulating coinage during its infancy is better understood. This was the workhorse currency of Insurgent forces before mid-1812 with the various casting stamps serving as an identifying mintmark. Multiple casting stamps identified money jointly cast by or distributed to multiple Insurgent forces. This cast coinage far outnumbered casts made from Supreme Junta Eagle on Bridge Divided Legend (Zitácuaro) coins and preceded any significant struck coinage. It also proceeded, at least initially, Morelos’ SUD type casts which would first appear in 1812 during his second campaign. It is likely that Insurgent casts with any of these allied casting stamps was treated as legal tender in all Insurgent held areas. The three casting stamps most often encountered in various combinations on casts from struck Mexico City bust type coins are the stamps of the Supreme Junta Arms, José Morelos and Lva which are each reviewed in detail on the pages that follow. Each casting stamp was also used individually, creating seven different combinations for these “Big Three” casting stamps.

Villagran & “H” Joint Casts with Supreme Junta Arms

While Insurgent casts are most often found with the casting stamps of Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos, and/or Lva, other Insurgent forces in this early period participated in this joint casting effort. Rare combinations include Supreme Junta Arms and Villagran casts, and casts of the Supreme Junta Arms with the unknown Insurgent force represented by an “H” encircled by dots. Of the major casting stamps, only Vicente Beristain’s “S.M.V.B.” has not been recorded in a joint cast with the Supreme Junta Arms. Beristain’s “S.M.V.B.” is, however, known in a combined cast with “H” confirming its participation in joint Insurgent casts ^{Tomás Dasí, Estudio de los Reales de a Ocho (Valencia, Spain, 1950-1951), page 223, figure 1.381.}.

Important Distinction between Casting Stamps and Counterstamps

The Supreme Junta Arms, Lva, Villagran, H and Beristain’s S.M.V.B. stamps only occur as casting stamps used in the production of cast coinage and were never used as counterstamps. We want to emphasize that these are only found on cast coins and where multiple stamps of these authorities occur on the same cast; they were applied at the same time, immediately following the casting process before the metal was allowed to cool. Conversely, counterstamps were used to validate provisional coinage already in circulation. Of the stamps considered in this article, only Morelos’ stamp served as both a casting stamp and a counterstamp.

Casting Ceased in Mid-1812

Insurgent casts (i.e. casts from Mexico City bust type coins) lost favor and appear to have ceased by mid-1812 due to a variety of reasons;

• Ability to strike coinage: In June 1812 the Supreme Junta leadership separated with President Ignacio Rayón relocating to Tlalpujahua. Here he obtained minting equipment and began a significant and sustained production of struck coinage in both silver and copper based on the new Supreme Junta Continuous Legend design.

• Morelos on campaign: From around November 1811 thru mid-1812 Morelos conducted his second Southern campaign focused on Cuautla. The start of the campaign appears to be the end of Morelos’ participation in joint Insurgent casts in favor of casting his own SUD style coinage. His absence also removed a mediating influence among Insurgent forces and perhaps precipitated their deteriorating cooperation.

• Declining cooperation between Insurgent forces: Following the separation of the Supreme Junta’s leadership in June 1812, disagreement and competition increased dramatically between various Insurgent forces with each acting more and more independently of the others.

• Less silver available for coinage: Following the early months of the revolution, the Royalists took steps to improve security, including the garrisoning of major towns and mining centers, decreasing opportunities for Insurgent plunder.

1811 Supreme Junta Divided Legend (Zitácuaro) Cast with Supreme Junta Arms and Lva Casting Stamps

1812-13 Continuous Legend Style Coinage Never Found with Casting Stamps

These events appear to mark the termination of any measurable casting from Mexico City bust type coins by any force aligned with the Supreme Junta after mid-1812. This chronology can be verified in other ways. First, 1811-12 Supreme Junta Divided Legend (Zitácuaro) coins were also used to create sand molds for Supreme Junta Arms and Lva cast coinage. However, the subsequent 1812-13 Continuous Legend type coinage introduced in mid-1812 was never used for casting. If casting continued after the move to Tlalpujahua in June 1812, we would expect these new Continuous Legend style coins to be used for the creation of sand molds. Second, the dates of the Mexico City bust type coins used for casting provide important information on when casting occurred. No casts using 1813 dated coins are known. Casts using 1812 dated coins are rare, representing just five percent of all examples. If casting had continued into 1813, we would see coins dated 1813 and a higher percentage dated 1812 used for casting. Finally, Morelos alone continued to cast silver after mid-1812, but not with Mexico City bust type coins. Instead, Morelos used his own SUD style madres as casting models.

Chilpancingo Misattribution

In September 1813 Morelos convened the Congress of Chilpancingo where he assumed leadership of the Insurgent Government. In 1938 Dr. Alberto Pradeau’s Numismatic History of Mexico incorrectly attributed the Supreme Junta Arms casting stamp and the Supreme Junta Eagle on Bridge counterstamp as counterstamps of the Congress of Chilpancingo. Pradeau stated that the Congress had chosen them “as its own”, apparently ignoring that the stamps mirror the reverse and obverse of the 1811 Divided Legend Eagle on Bridge coinage produced at Zitácuaro. Future authors followed this Chilpancingo misattribution. In 1951 Dasí differentiated between the two presumed “Chilpancingo” counterstamps giving them their Chilpancingo A (Arms) and Chilpancingo B (Eagle on Bridge) designations. Authors, reference books and auction catalogs since have followed these misattributions. As the casting chronology above demonstrates, the Supreme Junta Arms stamp has nothing to do with the September 1813 Congress of Chilpancingo. Casting with the Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos, Lva and other casting stamps began shortly after the August 1811 Congress of Zitácuaro, before minting equipment was obtained and when cooperation among Insurgent forces was at its greatest. Casting ceased by mid-1812 following the separation of the Supreme Junta’s leadership. The misattribution of the Supreme Junta’s casting stamp as a counterstamp used more than a year later hides the importance of the Insurgent casts which were the workhorse currency of Insurgent forces during the first ten months of the Insurgent government’s existence. It obscures the related nature of the Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos, Lva and other casting stamps used to produce this coinage. In what is admittedly a heavy lift, this article attempts to correct this 84-year misattribution by designating the entire cast series as “Insurgent Casts” and reassigning the Chilpancingo A counterstamp as the “Supreme Junta Arms” casting stamp.

Junta Arms Stamp

1811 Supreme Junta 8 Reales Reverse

Supreme Junta Arms Casting Stamp

The Supreme Junta Arms casting stamp originates from the central motif on the reverse of the 1811 Supreme Junta Divided Legend coinage. Native arms are displayed with an upraised fist grasping a bow and arrow above a sling, javelin, quiver and arrows. The stamp measures 15mm to 16mm in diameter. Like the Lva stamp, the Supreme Junta Arms stamp was only used as a casting stamp applied as the finishing step in the manufacture of cast coinage. It was not used as a counterstamp to validate coinage already in circulation and hence is only found on cast coinage. The Supreme Junta used different stamps for counterstamping provisional coinage including the related “Eagle on Bridge” stamp. Most Supreme Junta Arms casts are produced from struck Royalist Mexico City bust type coins; however, a few examples are known which are cast from Supreme Junta Divided Legend (Zitácuaro) coins.

Supreme Junta Arms casts from Mexico City bust type coins occur alone and in combination with Morelos, Lva and occasionally other casting stamps. The number of coins cast and validated with the Supreme Junta Arms casting stamp was large and likely occurred in numerous locations at various times between late-1811 and mid-1812. This is evidenced by the large number of Supreme Junta Arms punches used and by the widely variable quality of the cast coins themselves. Iron punches Supreme used to create the Supreme Junta Arms stamp were not hubbed and hence each is unique ^{Punch refers to the entire iron rod used to impress the stamp while the stamp is the design on the end of the punch. Each individual punch/stamp is unique since they were individually made, presumably from segment punches and not hubbed from a master. Hubbing is the process of creating a punch from a master so that each punch is essentially the same.}. Some examples of Supreme Junta Arms cast eight reales with a distinctive colonial style edge are known, often with what appears to be a Morelos counterstamp. An important variety of the Supreme Junta Arms stamp has a serrated border.

Typical Filed & Colonial Edges

Supreme Junta Arms Stamp with Serrated Border

Morelos Stamp

Morelos Casting Stamp

Square Morelos Stamp Varieties

The circular Morelos casting stamp consists of the monogram “Mo” with a large star above and below. Morelos casting stamps occur alone and in combination with Supreme Junta Arms and/or Lva casting stamps. Morelos casting stamps in combination with Lva stamps alone are rare. The Morelos stamp measures from 12mm to 13mm in diameter. Unlike the Supreme Junta Arms and Lva stamps, the Morelos stamp was also used to counterstamp circulating coinage including most provisional Insurgent and Royalist issues. When found on struck coinage, the Morelos stamp is always a counterstamp but when found on an Insurgent cast it can be either a casting stamp or a counterstamp. Most often it is a casting stamp. There are two important rectangular varieties of the Morelos stamp measuring 7.5mm x 5.5mm, one with and one without a serrated border.

Lva Casting Stamp

Lva Serrated Border Varieties

This 7-8mm circular stamp of unknown authority might display Lva in monogram. Like the Supreme Junta Arms stamp, the Lva stamp was only used as a casting stamp applied as the final step in the manufacture of cast coinage. It was not used as a counterstamp and hence is only found on cast coinage. The Lva casting stamp was generally used to validate casts in combination with the Supreme Junta Arms, both with and without Morelos. Lva validations which exclude the Supreme Junta Arms are rare. Solitary Lva casting stamps have been observed on both Mexico City bust type casts and on casts created from Supreme Junta Divided Legend (Zitácuaro) coins. There are two important Lva varieties with finely serrated borders. One occurs on a circular punch while the other punch is a slight oval.

Possible Lva Stamp Orientations

The Lva casting stamp has a monogram of uncertain translation. Even its upright orientation is in doubt. In 1938, Pradeau described it as “Lva” and that description has prevailed since. Pradeau did not suggest a meaning for the Lva monogram. It is possible that Pradeau was reading the stamp upside down. When rotated 180 degrees, the monogram could read “Tsm”/”Jsm”, “Tsma”/”Jsma”, “Ta”/”Ja” or ? Different punches have slight differences in lettering style so this range of styles must be considered in any translation. Unfortunately, the Lva casting stamp was applied in random
orientations so the coins themselves do not tell us which direction is up. The Lva stamp does, however, contains what appears to be a “stop” or period. If this is a stop, placing the stop on the right would be conventional and a more probable orientation.

Past authors have noted that “Lva” may be an upside-down reading and suggested an “aT” or “Ta” interpretation as well as other possibilities. A “J” rather than a “T” interpretation in this orientation is also quite possible. In cataloging the Pradeau sale of November 1971, Superior Stamp & Coin described it as “AT” and noted “Pradeau, p. 132, describes this c/s; but he reads it as LVA. His photo, PL.XXII #13 does not show the period. For this reason, he probably looked at this c/s from an inverted position.” In a lively series of articles and letters appearing in the El Boletín Numismático in 1994-95 translations ranged from Ta=Tlalpujahua or Tixtla/Chilpancingo to Lva= José María Morelos in monogram. In an ambitious reading that would make Rorschach blush, one author visualized “Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez” in monogram! ^{El Boletín Numismático volumes 165, 169, 170, Sociedad Numismática de México.} None of this speculation is supported by any historical evidence and each has major flaws^{Tlalpujahua was not occupied by Insurgents until after mid-1812 when casting had ceased. Tixtla/Chilpancingo were occupied by Morelos on his first campaign before formation of the Supreme Junta and later after mid-1812. A Tlalpujahua stamp would also be duplicative of the Supreme Junta Arms stamp and a José María Morelos monogram would be duplicative of Morelos’ stamp}. Krause catalogs this stamp as an “LVS” counterstamp, apparently recognizing the “s” but not the “a” or “m” in the monogram.

What Insurgent Force does the Lva/Tsm Monogram Represent?

The short answer is we do not know. It is almost certainly an important Insurgent force closely aligned with the Supreme Junta and Morelos in the period of late-1811 to mid-1812. The most important Insurgent armies during this period were Osorno, Serrano, Villagrán and García. Osorno controlled the largest force in the plains of Apan, northeast of Mexico City. Serrano operated in the same region under Osorno’s command. Julián Villagrán operated just north, controlling the Sierra Madre from the town of Zimapan. The Bajio region of Guanajuato was controlled by Albino García. In trying to decipher the Lva monogram these leaders, geography and their historic records were considered. Unfortunately, I was unable to decipher the monogram. Given the large amount of Lva cast coinage (42% of all joint castings), my speculation, and I want to reinforce this is only conjecture, is an association with Osorno.

Osorno

José Francisco Osorno was the largest and most important of the somewhat Independent Insurgents. The next largest, Villagrán, cast coinage with a casting stamp bearing his name. Osorno joined the Supreme Junta upon its formation in August 1811, receiving the rank of Lieutenant General. Osorno’s forces were headquartered in Zacatlan, 120 miles (190 km) east north-east of Mexico City and controlled the plains of Apan and areas south to Puebla. His forces successfully preyed on the mule trains to and from the port of Veracruz as well as other towns in the area. Osorno was known to share resources with the Supreme Junta and Morelos. Alamán reports that in early 1812 the Supreme Junta, Morelos and Osorno divided captured booty ^{Lúcas Alamán, Historia de Méjico desde los primeros movimientosque prepararon su Independenciaben el año1808 hasta la presente, Mexico City, 1849-1852, vol. ii, 577-81, vol. iii 152-53}. On 23 March 1812 Osorno’s lieutenants Serrano and Vicente Beristain captured over 200 bars of silver from the Real de Minas in Pachuca. Osorno provided a share to the Supreme Junta but failed to deliver the portion promised to Morelos. Whether the Supreme Junta’s share consisted of cast coins or bars is unrecorded. In October Morelos traveled to confront Osorno where he received his share, variously reported as 108 or 116 silver bars! ^{Juan E. Hernández y Dávalos, Historia de la Guerra de Independencia de México, vol. IV, Mexico, 1881 and Hubert Howe Bancoft, History of Mexico, vol. 13, page 477-478}. A 22 bar portion of Osorno’s silver was cast and stamped “S.M.V.B.” by Vicente Beristain, reportedly at San Martín.

Stamp Positions

Normal Stamp Positions

The Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos and Lva casting stamps were arranged in specific locations on the obverse side of the cast. The Supreme Junta Arms stamp was applied at the center of the obverse. Morelos’ stamp was placed at 12:00 over the King’s head and just above the Supreme Junta Arms stamp. The Lva monogram was set in the field at 3:00, just right of the Supreme Junta Arms stamp. This placement was generally observed whether the stamps were applied individually or in combination, but exceptions do occur. Morelos’ stamp is normally found in an upright position while the orientation of the Supreme Junta Arms and Lva stamps appear random.

Stamp Combinations and Rarity

Following is a tabulation of 140 Insurgent casts with casting stamps of the Supreme Junta Arms, Morelos and/or Lva from Mexico City bust type coins. This tabulation of cast eight reales, which includes major auction sales, private collections and Coin Archives records, gives us insight into the relative rarity of various combinations. 56% of this population contains multiple casting stamps and 44% has single stamps.

As the population above shows, the occurrence of an Lva stamp either individually or in combination with only a Morelos stamp is quite rare. Also, casts with all three casting stamps are underrated, occurring much less often than those of the Supreme Junta Arms together with just Morelos.

Mexico City Bust Type Coins and Rarity

Utilizing the same tabulation of Insurgent casts, the following table details the Mexico City bust type coins used for casting:

The most common coins used for casting are 1810 and 1811 Ferdinand VII Armored bust coins which are represented on almost half of all cast coins. This shows either a preference for casting from newer coins or that 1810-11 coinage represented a high proportion of the coins in circulation during late-1811 to mid-1812. Coins dated 1812 are rare which attests to the near elimination of casting by mid-1812. All of the observed casts dated 1812 are either Supreme Junta Arms alone or in combination with Lva only. The lack of any Morelos casts from 1812 Mexico City bust type coins is probably due to Morelos’ transition to SUD type casts following the start of his second campaign around November 1811.

In conclusion, the Insurgent cast coinage of late-1811 to mid-1812 is an important and largely misunderstood issue.

Created with the casting stamps of various Supreme Junta forces, this foundational issue served as their primary circulating coinage during this formative period.