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Withdrawals and incinerations

Like the other banks the Banco de Guanajuato withdrew the notes that had deteriorated and burnt them, after recording their denominations and serial numbers in a book kept for the purpose.

This register of incinerations became, for the press, ‘el famoso libro de incineraciones’ when ex-manager Bustamante was arrested. It should have recorded the act in 1911 when $100,000 were supposed to have been incinerated and those carried out in 1912, one of which achieved the sum of $120,000. After Bustamante left the new manager, noting the excessive quantity of $5 and $10 notes in the market, wanted to check the records but the register had disappeared.

The interventor should have kept his own book, with copies of the acts, but did not, instead accepting a bonus from Bustamante.

In his report to the district judge exjudge Orvañanos stated that, according to the copy sent to the Secretaría de Hacienda, the act of incineration for April 1912 was attended by directors Mariano B. Taboada and Rodrigo Castelazo and cajero Juan A. Septién, but these three stated that they had not been present and no act of incineration took place in April 1912. Ramón Alcázar, jr. stated that he had never attended an incineration. Septién also said that once he took the strongboxes containing $120,000 in notes, marked for destruction, to Bustamante’s office and they were returned two days later empty, without the usual incineration in the bank’s yardEl Diario, Año VIII, Núm. 2140 15 February 1914.

On 27 August 1917 in its circular num. 7 the Comisión Monetaria instructed the banks to destroy all of their notes that they had in their possession. In accordance with this the Banco de Guanajuato recorded the following actsAGN, SC244, Antiguos Bancos de Emisión, caja 17, libro 53 and libro 54.

date acta $5 $5
Bouligny
$10 $10
Bouligny
$20 $50 $100 $500 $1,000 total
number
total
value
$
6 September 1917              570  279  29  18  896  88,900
13 September 1917            2,219          2,219  44,380
1 October 1917 3      1,583              1,583  15,830
5 October 1917 4      1,905             1,905 19,050
17 October 1917 5     1,823             1,823 18,230
23 October 1917 6     1,500             1,500 15,000
9 November 1917 7         462 121 62 19 5 669 35,990
13 November 1917 8     1,647             1,647 16,470
15 November 1917 9       1,512           1,512 15,120
17 November 1917 10       1,500           1,500 15,000
23 November 1917 11       1,500           1,500 15,000
28 November 1917 12       2,200           2,200 22,000
14 December 1917 13       1,500           1,500 15,000
7 January 1918 14       1,500           1,500 15,000
10 January 1918 15       1,500           1.500 15,000
11 February 1918 16       1,600           1,600 16,000
19 February 1918 17       1,500           1,500 15,000
26 February 1918 18       1,500           1,500 15,000
9 March 1918 19       1,500           1,500 15,000
18 March 1918 20       1,500           1,500 15,000
16 April 1918 21     248   39 17 5 1 1 311 6,110
22 April 1918 22       2,000           2,000 20,000
10 May 1918 23       2,000           2,000 20,000
6 June 1918 24       1,500           1,500 15,000
21 June 1918 25       2,000           2,000 20,000
9 July 1918 26       2,000           2,000 20,000
30 July 1918 27   1,000               1,000 5,000
5 September 1918 28     134 200 2 1       311 3,430
29   1,000               1,000 5,000
18 September 1918 30   1,000               1,000 5,000
7 October 1918 31   1,000               1,000 5,000
15 October 1918 32   1,000               1,000 5,000
 23 October 1918 33 1,00041 Series A, 75 B, 240 C, 507 D, 137 E                 1,000 5,000
19 November 1918 34 1,00051 Series A, 118 B, 348 C, 294 D, 189 E                  1,000 5,000
23 January 1919 35 1,00061 Series A, 107 B, 322 C, 380 D, 130 E                  1,000 5,000
25 May 1919 36 1,00028 Series A, 171 B, 331 C, 327 D, 146 E                  1,000 5,000
5 April 1919 37       1,750           1,750 17,500

 

Unfortunately we do not yet have a list of incinerations comprehensive enough to determine how many notes escaped destruction.