The $10 notes

Originally decree núm. 2 on 19 February 1915 authorised 15,000 $10 notes. Then on 10 July decree núm. 5 added a further 45,000 notes. Finally, decree núm. 18, on 12 January 1916, authorised a futher issue, without specifying the exact amount of $10 notes.

Like the 1 peso and 5 pesos notes, the 10 pesos títulos de crédito were typographed by the Tipografia Artistica de Julian S. Soto in the city of Oaxaca. As with the others, several plates were used, each undergoing mostly minor changes during the course of production.

Underprinting

A pale background printed in two colors (pink and lilac in a wide range of shades) was made from plates composed of many of the same typographic elements utilized in producing the lower values. The same eagle emblem flanked by flags and cannons which appears on the fronts of both the 1 and 5 pesos notes is seen on the 10 pesos. The back is entirely composed of typographic ornaments, some used to spell out" 10 PESOS" in a manner similar to what is seen on the lower values. So far, no errors have been recorded.

The "Brown" Plates

The borders, lined backgrounds for text, the printer's inscriptions on both sides, on the back the Juarez portrait and some of the ornaments, and on the front most of the filigree and background ornaments in the comers were produced from one set of plates. This printing is in a deep shade of brown, sometimes rather maroon in shade and sometimes nearly black. Also printed in this color are the boxes and rings surrounding the "1 O"s in the comers on the face, but these were applied as an overprint from another plate.

Printer's Inscription Varieties

The brown face plate includes the printer's inscription in the middle of the bottom frame. Usually this reads "JULIAN S. SOTO OAXACA". On 24 February 1915 notes, additional periods occur after "OAXACA" and, sometimes, "SOTO". However, there also exists on later notes an error: "JULIA S. SOTO OAXACA". This is not simply a drop out of the "N" because the space between "JULIA and "SOTO" is nearly the same as between "JULIAN" and "SOTO" in the normal.
The error is found intermittently starting with Series A of 15 Noviembre 1915. Generally speaking it is not rare, though in some series it is.
A variety occurred in the printer's inscription on the back as well: "JULIANS SOTO" instead of "JULIAN S. SOTO". This also appeared starting with the A series of 15 Noviembre and is also intermittent.
One can find either in combination with the normal and error inscriptions on the face.

The "DIEZ PESOS" Plate

The next pass probably was the well-scattered portions of the design that are in shades of light blue or gray. On the face this includes: the circular seal at the left, the curved words "DIEZ PESOS", fine lines within the borders, "10 PESOS" within the upper and right borders, the word "del" (centered below the top inscription "La Tesoreria General"), the comer and left "1 O"s, background color for the boxes surrounding "1 O" at two of the comers, and "El Tesorero" and "El Contador." On the back the outer border, lines to the left of the portrait and background color for some floral elements were printed in this same color.
Note: the circular "Princess Donaji" seal is not the same cut used for the 1 peso or 5 pesos. The one used for 10 pesos after 24 F ebrero 1915 has breaks at 2 o'clock and 5 o'clock. This seal was also used for the 20 pesos.

The "Black" Plates

All text on face and back with the exception of the printer's inscription, were printed in black. Also in black are Outlines around the "10"s. Early printings also had ornaments at comers around the Juarez portrait and bracketing "Estado de Oaxaca" on the front printed in black (later the bracketing ornaments were printed in brown). Subsequent printings had two formerly brown horizontal lines on the back printed in black flanking a brown line of ornaments that was added.
As is the case with the other denominations, the text on the back makes reference to a decree. At first this is "Decreto numero 2 del 19 Febrero de 1915" Starting with the notes dated 10 Agosto the decreto is "numero 5 del 10 de Julio de 1915 ." Later this was changed to "Decreto numero 18 de Enero de 1916.

Serial numbers and Treasury Seal

Initially, the serial numbers (front) and treasury seal (back) were printed in light blue, but this was changed to red. The blue treasury seals were positioned vertically at the center of the left end of the design, reverse side. The red seals were placed horizontally in various positions on the back. The Treasury seal is usually the same design used on the 1 and 5 pesos notes except that on the 26 Mayo 1915 printing a circular seal was used.

The layout of the back of the 10 pesos notes is different from that of the 1 peso and 5 pesos so a different "map" must be used for describing the position of the treasury seal:

These placements are approximate - some variation is to be expected.

The Three Types - 24 February 1915

The bills from the first printing date, 24 Februaro 1915, are found in three types. All subsequent printings are found in the third type only. The three types can most readily be recognized by comparing the large "1 O" appearing at the center right of the face. On Type 1 it is brown with black outline and on Types 2 and 3 it is blue with black outline. Note also the presence or absence of floral filigree within the box surrounding the "10 ." Other characteristics from other portions of the design are described below.

Type 1 - face	Type 2 - face	Type 3 - face
Also	Also	Also
Behind the "10"s in the upper left and lower right comers (enclosed within circles) there are no brown stylized floral ornaments.	Two stylized floral ornaments have been added behind each "IO" at the upper left and lower right comers.	This feature as in Type 2
The "D" of "DIEZ" is 5-6 mm from the circular seal.	The "D" of "DIEZ" is now 7-8 mm from the circular seal and the words have also been repositioned upward a few mm.	This feature as in Type 2
Printer's inscription includes two periods:following the initial "S" and "OAXACA."	Printer's inscription includes three periods:following "S", "SOTO" and "OAXACA.	The bracket ornaments to either side of "Estado de Oaxaca", previously printed in black, are now brown. New background.
		The circular seal has been replaced with a different cut which can be readily recognized from a break in the outer rings at 2 o'clock and a vertical break at 5 o'clock.
		Printer's inscription has period after "S" only.
Back	Back	Back
The portrait is "Type IA" and is enclosed in a rectangle at whose inside comers ornaments are printed in black	No changes were made to the reverse.	The Juarez portrait has been replaced. The cut is the same as Type 3 on the lower denominations. The bracket ornaments have been removed from the comers of the portrait's box.
Between the two blocks of text, there are two horizontal lines printed in brown.		he two horizontal lines between the blocks of text are now black and have been spaced apart to accommodate a line of brown ornaments that has been added.

24 February 1915

 
The only difference between X(2) and X(3) is the range of serial numbers. Though separate issues, they were probably in a single press run.

20 April 1915

A watermark sometimes shows which is comprised of double-lined letters "_Mills" (probably Ladoer Mills) reading up.

26 May 1915 

Starting this date, the serial numbers and treasury seal are red instead of light blue. This is the only series on which the round seal is found.

26 June 1915

  
The fine wove paper comes with a watermark "VILASECA" in double-lined capital letters reading horizontally.

19 July 1915

10 August 1915

3 September 1915

24 September 1915

The bluish-gray laid paper may have the lines running horizontally or vertically. It occasionally shows a watermark which has not yet been deciphered but which reads perpendicularly to the direction of the laid lines One note (horizontally laid paper) shows at one end the watermark of a hand holding a scimitar and at the other end the edge of some double-lined letters reading vertically. Another shows "_rown I Co".
Ken Tabachnick has a note without serial number, treasury seal at position 11 printed on medium-thin paper with an obvious weave and showing part of a double-lined letters watermark.

15 November 1915

 
The first I series has the normal inscription on the face and "JULIANS SOTO" on the back.
The Creamish paper A series notes have the "JULIAS SOTO" inscription error on the face and "JULIANS SOTO" on the back.
The A series on medium white paper has the error on the face and the normal inscription on the back. This paper has been seen with a watermark, "VOUCHER BOND" in double-liried capitals.
There is a Series A note which lacks the serial numbers and the treasury seal, "JULIA" inscription on the face and "JULIANS" on back.
I suspect the two I series were produced at the same time, finished up to the application of the serial numbers. They probably held back 1(2) because of the bluish paper, putting it into circulation only when the need arose.

14 January 1916

29 January 1916

17 February 1916

These have the "JULIA S SOTO" imprint on the face and the normal imprint on the back.

29 February 1916

There exist unfinished remainders lacking the black printing and the serial number except for the initial "1", also lacking a treasury seal. On the ones examined, the first "S" of the gray "PESOS" has a damaged foot which is characteristic of 29 Febrero 1916 notes, and the spacing of the letters confirms it is from this print run. Rosovsky incorrectly described this as being a "proof."