Counterfeit $5 sábanas Types 1 and 2
Counterfeit $5 sábanas Types 1
The characteristics listed in Sebastián Vargas' notice of 21 March 1914 are as follows:
| GENUINE | COUNTERFEIT |
|---|---|
| letters are thicker (más gruesos) | |
| ink is blacker | |
| edging frame is made up of plates so slight breaks in corners | edging is continuous in the corners |
| Chao’s signature stroke ends in a thick flourish | Chao’s signature ends in a lump (bola o nudo) |
| Tesorería seal is rubber and handstamped so details are blurred | seal is of metal, usually steel, so details are perfect |
However, Vargas was combining the characteristics of all four values from $5 to $50, so, ignoring the difference in Chao's signature, these are probably the same as counterfeit Type 2 below.
Counterfeit $5 sábanas Type 2
The characteristics listed in a notice of December 1914 are
| GENUINE | COUNTERFEIT |
|---|---|
| paper noticeably thinner | |
| ‘5’s of ‘5 CINCO PESOS 5’ are thicker and broader | |
| the small dots that form the background are symmetrical: impression of small semi-circle in the lower centre | small dots are ill formed and not symmetrical : in the lower centre the suggestion/impression of a small semi-circle is missing |
| border of thick and thinner black lines made up of plates so various breaks, especially in the corners | border of thick and thinner lines lithographed as a single piece |
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seal is of rubber and hand-stamped, so details are blurred |
seal is of metal, usually steel, so details are perfect |
whilst the notice of 24 March 1914 lists:
| GENUINE | COUNTERFEIT |
|---|---|
 Rubber seal, printed in black ink |
 Steel seal, printed in purple ink, without a bar after ‘CHIHUAHUA’ |
| Small joints at the corners and various parts of edging | Edging appears continuous |
| Background is more vivid (más subido) | |
| Red numbering differs in form and size (this probably refers to the fact that one number is small and the other large) | Red numbering is uniform |
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| Signatures thicker | |
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No comma after ‘Tesorero General del Estado’ or ‘Interventor’ |
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Occasionally ‘Gobernado’ |
‘
Gobernado’ in place of ‘Gobernador’
We could also add
| GENUINE | COUNTERFEIT |
|---|---|
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no comma after 'Chihuahua' |
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No full stop after '1913' |
As these notes with metal seals are relatively common and make fine examples, they are often found in collections.
These are the counterfeit $5 notes in the Alvarado case, where additional characteristics are given:
| GENUINE | COUNTERFEIT |
|---|---|
| Background formed by small regular squares, in darker ink | Dots are irregular, and lighter |
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Word “Interventor” is hardly legible |
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