The following varieties
of predecimal coins are not listed in Krause but appear in Carrión
Letort:
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1/4 Real 1843/2 overdate
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 1/4 Real 1852 GJ (Constitu). [As of 9/99, Carrión Letort was selling one in XF for $5000 on his web site; another in VG was sold in Ebay for $1000 by NumisReal 4/aug/99.]
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 1/2 Real 1833 GJ: In the section on a variety of the 1833 1 Real coin Carrión Letort mentions that he has seen a similar variety for the 1833 1/2 Real coin.
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1/2 Real 1848 & 1848: Wide & narrow wing variants, the wide wing
variants apparently slightly less common
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1 Real 1833GJ: Variety with eagle more horizontal, base of letters gothic
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1 Real 1838ST: There are two variants based primarily on the ax size
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2 Reales 1839MV: There are two varieties--one with the 2 vary close to
the left mountain, the other very separate
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4 Reales 1842MV: There is a variety with 3 arrow shafts rather than 2
The following varieties are not listed in Krause but appear in Seppa and
Carrión Letort:
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The coins with lettering on the edges (i.e., the four reales of 1841-3,
the 1/2 sucre of 1884, the large sucres of 1884-1897) appear with the lettering
in both orientations (up and down). The two are of roughly equal occurrence,
except apparently for the 1890 Heaton sucres.
The following coins are not listed in Krause but appear in Smith
& Daughter:
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8 Escudos 1849/7: Listed as unconfirmed in 1996 Krause. In Smith &
Daughter's catalog with the value described as "15,000-UP". Listed in
1999 Krause as "rare" with the note that the coin realized $23,000 in Smith
& Daughter's 1996 sale.
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1/5 Libra 1899: "Head of Sucre Obverse; Revised Coat of Arms Reverse. An
unlisted gold coin of Ecuador, perhaps a token or a proposed pattern to
emulate the 1/5th Libras of Peru. The reverse legend reads G1.600 [grams]
1/5 de Libra 0.900 M.N. Quito. 14 mm. With a small test cut at 3'oclock
on the reverse rim, otherwise Brilliant Uncirculated."
Brass patterns of 1970's coinage:
I have encountered the items featured in the below scan on the numismatic market, which were described as brass patterns
in AU-UNC. A second person also has written to me offering me a "50 centavos 1975 UNC from copper, not listed in Krause
catalog." I suspect this is another example of the same pattern depicted in the below scan.
Click here to view a second set in its presentation case auctioned off in Ebay by Rony Almeida 7/2001. According to Rony Almeida (personal communication 7/2001), this was a special commemorative set produced in 1977 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Banco Central. He is not certain exactly how many of these sets were issued, but is sure that it cannot be more than a dozen or perhaps less.
"Wide date" and "narrow date" varieties of the 1991 50 Sucres Coin:
Wide date and narrow date varieties of the 1991 50 Sucres coin are mentioned in Krause. However, this does not seem to be the complete story. An article by Bob Reis in the Coin Universe eCollectors Coin eZine February 22, 2000 gives specifics on the difference in date size (8 mm. vs. 6 mm.), and also comments on a difference in the rim width (0.1 mm. vs. 1 mm.). Reis also notes that the edge reeding is slightly coarser on the large date coin, and that there are "certainly fewer grooves" on the small date variety. He notes what appears to him to be a small difference in color between the two coins, and speculates that the difference between the two varieties may be due to production in two different contract mints.
This website has also received an email from Mr. Paul Baker of the Research Centre for the Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collectors Club that also suggests two different mints, and quantifies a difference in the number of edge denticles in the obverse border of the two varieties: 141 in 1988 and 1991 wide date variety; 161 in the 1991 narrow date variety.
Below are presented the original reports with full information, followed by a scan of the narrow date variety.
| Coin Universe Article
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Identifying Ecuadorian coin varieties
Bob Reis - February 22, 2000
My plea a few articles back for variety pairs and sets for illustration has begun to bear some fruit. In this case it is a pair of modern coins from Ecuador. The Ecuadorian equivalent of our dollar, which is to say the major monetary unit that is divided into 100 parts, is the sucre, named after the national hero of the liberation struggle. The sucre used to be a silver dollar sized silver coin back in the nineteenth century, but it has declined over the years, and now the exchange rate is about 17,000 to the dollar. The coins keep getting smaller, and the denominations higher. Dealer markups are pretty high too. The current issue 1000 sucres, a bimetal coin, is worth about a nickel, but is priced in the Standard Catalog at $2.25. Go figure. In 1991 two varieties of 50 sucres coins were issued, described in the catalog as "small date" and "large date." There is a picture in the catalog, but no indication of which one it is. The small date variety has a date that measures 6 millimeters across. The large date is 8 millimeters. The small date coin also has a 1 millimeter rim on both sides, while the large date has a rim that is maybe a tenth of a millimeter - practically a "wire" rim. The edge reeding is slightly coarser on the large date coin. There are certainly fewer grooves than on the small date variety, though I didn't count them. It also looks as if the metal content is a little different. Though both are made out of magnetic stainless steel, the small date variety has a slightly off-white, copper-nickel look, while the large date coin looks more like what it is. The Republic of Ecuador does not have its own mint, but contracts out its coinage requirements to various mints around the world. The evidence of the coins makes me lean towards an opinion that the two varieties are the products of different contract mints. At this time I have no information, solid or hearsay, regarding the origin of the two types, nor do I have any information regarding which one, if any, is scarcer.
With those two coins came a number of other interesting items. There were several uncirculated pieces of the 1942 brass coinage, struck in Philadelphia. These coins carry relatively high catalog values, but these came directly from the Central Bank, incorporated in souvenir sets that evidently were never issued. If the Central Bank is sitting on a bunch of these coins then perhaps their prices might be subject to some downward revision some day. Another piece of interest was a 1975 20 centavos. This item is unpriced in the catalog, a circumstance that would naturally lead one to suppose it to be rare. My source declares that is not so, and suggests a value of $0.50. He only produced one piece, however, and as a dealer I find myself unable to resist the urge to dig a little gold on the item. I will offer it at a speculatively high price, and see if anyone goes for it. Bob Reis has been a collector for forty years, a dealer for twenty, and a writer on numismatic subjects for ten.
Bob Reis has over 40 years of numismatic study and 20 years dealing in world numismatics under his belt. As the author of the column "From A to Z" featured in World Coin News and numerous features in other publications, he is a dealer for a myriad of historical collectible "stuff".
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Email from Paul Baker
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Hello,
I thought you might be interested in the following information I sent to
someone a while ago.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ecuador 50 Sucres KM-93. I have 1 or 2 of each of the circulation pieces
currently listed for this type. (i.e. all but the Proof 1988). These three
pieces are listed as (a) 1988, (b) 1991 wide date and (c) 1991 narrow date.
However there is more to the variations between these three pieces than the
catologue currently suggests. What I have I would describe as (a) 1988
narrow date and 141 denticles in obverse border, (b) 1991 wide date and 141
denticles in obverse border and (c) 1991 narrow date and 161 denticles in
obverse border. Perhaps these variations are due to the use of different
mints, who knows ?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Perhaps you can pass comment on it ?
It has been passed onto SCWC people already but likely this finer detail
will not been seen as necessary for their listings since with my info there
are still just three different coins (plus the proof).
Thanks Mr Paul Baker
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Scan of the 1991 NARROW DATE variety. Besides the date, note the many denticles in the
obverse border and the wide rim. Also included is a scan of the 1988 50 sucres coin for purposes of comparison.
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The following new issues are not listed in the 1999 edition of Krause's
Standard Catalog:
Below are images of the circulating 2000 coins (after dollarization). To view earlier designs or more details on Ecuador's dollarization, go to the dollarization page.
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