MORE ON MUERA HUERTA OVERSTAMPS

 

 

Chiming in on the recent comment about the "Muera Huerta" red stamps on the 5 and 10 peso bills, the images of which, were kindly sent in by the reader, I had the opportunity to personally chat with the author of the book, Dr. Amaya, via video conference a couple of days ago.

As to the book, the focus was specifically on the "Muera Huerta" coin; its numerous varieties, pertinent historical figures and context, etc.

In terms of the bills, Dr. Amaya commented, that he recalled having handled a specimen in the early 1990's, that was being sold at the time, by a reputable collector. Upon asking the collector about his opinion, he textually answered "that not much was known about the red stamps".

I asked the author the same question, and in his years of investigation, he commented, that he had not found any written reference to the red stamps on the paper money in question.

From my side, I can add, that I have not seen any evidence, with respect to any reference, written comment, or citation from the early 20th century concerning the red stamps; of course, this does not mean that historical evidence does not exist...it only implies, that it could be very scarce, and may not have been discovered yet...

As a personal comment, the unfortunate thing about the red stamps, is the fact, that they could have been applied almost anytime, a posteriori to the emission of the original bills.

A while ago, I was lucky enough to have been privy to the results of a comprehensive, and in-depth study of an original historical document, dating back to the early 19th century. In addition to the historical verification, comparison of data, signatures, etc., the study included a meticulous analysis of paper and ink content, in order to be able to date the document, which resulted in confirming its authenticity.

Other than subjecting the bills to a similiar type of scrutiny, I would consider it very difficult, to determine beyond a reasonable doubt, whether the red stamps were applied during the historical period in question, or sometime at a later date.

In the end, we can chalk it up to another numismatic uncertainty, that merits further investigation, and will keep us looking...

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: AUGUST 29, 2021 : Muera Huerta Paper Money (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n35a13.html)
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 : A Muera Huerta 1 Peso Note (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n36a08.html)

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