(none)
It includes the 1st Ecuadorian crown, issued only in 1846. This coin is really neat but at the moment is being fought over by a few collectors. Thus it is currently very expensive to buy, and should be considered scarce. I understand that about 1300 pieces were struck, most of which were apparently placed in circulation. These coins circulated very slightly before being saved and are almost always found in decent condition ranging from good VF to AU.
It basically looks just like a US Capped Bust dollar so for those of you who wanted a Capped bust dollar this is the piece to buy.
Ecuador, 5 francos, 1858
uncirculated (NGC-65)
(M.L. Teller, , 2002)
A brief history about the 1858 5 Francos.
At the time between 1833 and 1858 the Ecuadorian silver coinage was debased.
Now (after the liberation from Spain) it was time to be a part of a world market of industrialized nations in exchange for finished goods
and raw material including silver coinage.
The Ecuadorian government could not even begin the process of modernization without a quantity of coins of sufficiently
high fineness to finance foreign exchange. As a result the debased silver would have to be withdrawn from circulation
and replaced with a silver crown of 0.900 fineness. So the 5 Francos 1858 crown materialized but could never be sustained
for circulation. The great mass of the poor could not make transactions without being defrauded by merchants in the market place.
Counterfeiting existed (0.666 silver) and the import of coining machinery from the United States could not take place to replace the discredited "moneda feble", of 0.666 silver). Then disaster struck at the Quito Mint and there was not even the old machinery left to produce coinage. The 5 Francos were quickly withdrawn from circulation and counterfeit coins increased due to the lack of government issued coinage in circulation.
Do you really want to learn more about the history of Ecuadorian coinage in English? Get a copy of Michael Anderson's book "A Numismatic History of Ecuador". Excellent!!!
from Chuck Helfand
(none)
If someone will sell me another Ecuadorian coin I'd have more to display here! I'd love to get a 4R of General Sucre as well as the famous "Moby Dick coin": the Liberty Head 8E.
Un Sucre, 1890 UNC
Actually I do have another Ecuadorian coin: this is a much more recent 1 sucre piece. These are not expensive coins in ms but are not extremely common. I will always buy these (in ms) if offered at reasonable prices.