Counterfeit cartones in San Juan del Río

On 23 October 1914 the Administración de Correos in Querétaro warned that many counterfeit 5c, 10c and 20c cartones, of the series T, S and U, were in the city and businesses were therefore refusing such notes. The next day the Presidente Municipal asked the Secretario General, Luis F. Pérez, for information on how to distinguish the bogus notes. The Secretario General replied that he had no such knowledge and asked the Administrador de Correos in San Juan del Río, Norberto Borbolla, what basis he had for originally publishing such alarming stories. He, in turn, replied on 30 October that it was the offices of the Ferrocarriles Constitucionalistas, on superior orders, and the Express that were the first to refuse these cartones and he had merely followed suit to safeguard his department’s interests^{AQ, Fondo Poder Ejecutivo Sec 2ª 26 October 1914, exp. 96 letter Pérez to Norberto Borbolla, San Juan de Río, 26 October 1914: Secretario General to Presidente Municipal, San Juan del Río, 26 October 1914: Borbolla to governor, Querétaro, 30 October 1914}.

To what does this refer? Later references suggest that they were Gobierno Provisional de México cartones.

On 21 September 1915 the Presidente Municipal of San Juan del Río, Alberto Ugalde, wrote to the governor in Querétaro telling him that public offices were refusing the 20c cartones and asking for advice. The governor suggesting setting up a commission to rule on the genuineness of these notes, destroying the counterfeit and leaving the good notes in circulation. The commission was formed by Alberto Ugalde, Teofilo Gomez and J. B. Miranda^{AQ, Fondo Poder Ejecutivo Sec 2ª Hacienda C-3 Año 1915 Exp. 244}. The next day the Presidente Municipal of Tequisquiapan, F. Zamoreno, reported an alarming abundance of 20c bonos, very different in typography and even in class of pasteboard from those originally issued by the Gobierno Provisional, which led businesses to reject them. He suggesting revalidation, but the governor told him to establish a commission, to destroy the counterfeit and leave the genuine in circulation, but without a resello^{AQ, Fondo Poder Ejecutivo Sec 2ª Hacienda C-3 Año 1915 Exp. 244}. On 27 September Zamoreno complained that the offices of Rentas and of Timbre were still refusing to accept notes, even though they had been approved by the commission. The Secretario General replied by asking how much in paper currency of the state they needed to avoid difficulties and settle small transactions^{AQ, Fondo Poder Ejecutivo Sec 2ª Hacienda C-3 Año 1915 Exp. 244 telegram Secretario General Luis Frías Fernández to council, Tequisquiapan, 29 September 1915}.

On 10 June 1916 the Tesorero Municipal in Querétaro had $3,271.80 in 5c, 10c and 20c Vales Constitucionalistas^{AQ, Fondo Poder Ejecutivo Sec 2ª Hacienda C-4 Año 1916 Exp. 520} but on 20 June only $279.55 in 5c and 10c and $740.00 in 20c vales^{AQ, Fondo Poder Ejecutivo Sec 2ª Hacienda C-4 Año 1916 Exp. 515}.