I am a graduate student in Hispanic Linguistics at Indiana University who studies Ecuadorian Numismatics as a hobby. Ecuadorian Numismatics is a relatively poorly studied area in which much work remains to be done and I have provided a number of pages related to this work in progress below. I also have recently begun to get interested in Ecuadorian stamps and have also provided some pages for your use for them, although I don't have as much myself to say about them yet.

Ecuadorian Monetary System: The biggest news in Ecuadorian numismatics right now is the dollarization of the country: within a short time the Central Bank will stop producing sucres and sucres in circulation will be replaced by U.S. dollars. For full information on this issue, including summaries and tables, links to the websites of the major players in this debate (both for and against dollarization), international and Ecuadorian news stories, your opportunity to vote, and a forum on the topic, see my new Dollarization in Ecuador home page below.

Dollarization in Ecuador / Dolarización en el Ecuador: Everything you ever wanted to know about Ecuador's dollarization. Page in English and Spanish.

Ecuadorian Stamps: So far I have devoted my personal collecting and researching efforts primarily to Ecuadorian coins, banknotes, and medals, so I am much less familiar with the stamps. I hope to expand this stamp section as I run across additional useful information on Ecuadorian stamps.

Important Ecuadorian Stamp References:

• Scott Catalog--For regular issues including airmail stamps, postal tax, etc.
• Olamo Catalog--For revenue stamps
• Higgens & Gage--For postal stationary

Complete bibliographic information for these titles, as well as links you can use to order them, is located on my bibliography page.

Stamps Wanted: Click here to view the list of Ecuadorian stamps currently in my collection in a new window. I am interested in acquiring any Ecuadorian stamps that I don't already have, or that are in better condition than mine (MLH or preferibly MNH).

Ecuadorian Coins: There are a number of varieties of Ecuadorian coins that are not included in the Standard Catalog of World Coins, and others that are listed but which may not actually occur. Furthermore, the value and rarity of a number of the pieces are in question. I am helping Charles Helfand of New York in his research for a new book to help shed some light on these issues, but we need your help in finding new varieties, confirming the existence of questionable items, and estimating the population of rare or unique coins. Using the forms below in the "View/contribute to updates on Ecuadorian numismatics and philately" section you will be able to see examples of this work in progress and contribute to it. The names of all who contribute will be held in strict confidentiality, and findings will be made available to anyone who provided input for the research.

Ecuador's 8 Escudos Coin in Moby Dick: See the coin, background info., & the book chapter.

Ecuadorian Coin Diameters and Storage Suggestions: Size guide plus archival storage suggestions for Ecuadorian coins.

My Collection: Text listing of the Ecuadorian coins/medals/tokens currently in my collection. I am interested in acquiring any that I don't already have. [Downloadable file in MS Write format.]

Ecuadorian Medals: Ecuadorian medals are something widely available within the country and important to many collectors, but not well known outside the country. The primary reference source on Ecuadorian medals is the Catálogo de Medallas Ecuatorianas (1988) by the Ecuadorian Central Bank, followed by The Medals of Ecuador (1972) by Al Almanzar and Dale Seppa, both of which are out of print but still occasionally encountered (as of 4/2000, the Central Bank still had a few copies of their book left). [See my bibliography page for a complete listing of Ecuadorian medal references.]

In this section you can find reference information on Ecuadorian medals, as well as a list of the medals currently in my collection (I am seeking to buy all that I don't currently have).

Virtual Ecuadorian Medal Collection: Images of medals, some from my collection, some found on the internet.

My Collection: Text listing of the Ecuadorian coins/medals/tokens currently in my collection. I am interested in acquiring any that I don't already have. [Downloadable file in MS Write format.]

Ecuadorian Banknotes: Ecuador has produced a very rich variety of banknotes which are not, unfortunately, documented in any book known to me. The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money describes the basic types and lists most of the dates these were printed, but does not mention at all the many other variations that occur. Variations in series, signature type, and sometimes signature title and date format, are common. In many cases Ecuador did not follow chronological/alphabetical order completely in producing its series: For example, a 5000 sucres series AJ bill exists from March 17, 1992 (two signature types), then series AH was printed (June 22, 1992), then another series AH (August 22, 1993). For the collector interested in these variations, Ecuador presents a mountain of possibilities.

If you are interested in varieties of Ecuadorian banknotes, besides the basic things to look for such as denomination, issuing bank (either the Banco Central or one of the various banks used before it was created), printer, and the basic design, you should pay attention to the following details, all of which are found on the front of the note:

• Exact Date
• Date Format (some varieties are differentiated by the presence of a comma or period in the date, by differences in lettering style, or by differences in capitalization: all lower case vs. month capitalized vs. all caps)
• Series (Serie IE, etc.)
• Signatures (the signature of the vocal is the one most likely to differ, but a few varieties are distinguished by differing in another signature)
• Signature titles (What are they? are they printed on, or overprinted? What color ink? How much distance is there between the titles and the actual signatures?)

View/add to Victor Holden's "The Ecuador Register" banknote checklist

Victor Holden's "Ecuador Register" is the main checklist of Ecuador banknotes compiled by a non-Ecuadorian. View the second edition (January 2001) of Part I (1928-38) and contribute to the upcoming third edition. The First Edition of PART II: 1939-44 ISSUE, A - 5 SUCRES (1940-49) is almost finished and will be out shortly. Victor Holden is a collector and researcher of more than 30 years' standing of the banknotes of the Central Banks of BOLIVIA, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR and VENEZUELA and would appreciate hearing from you with any comments you may wish to make regarding the Register and any questions you might have regarding ECUADOR banknotes in general, since he is an acknowledged authority in this field.

Read the latest version online on the LANSA website View a local copy of the LANSA files on my website Download the files in MS Word format: Part I title page and Part I Complete.

View/review/add to bibliography of important reference works

The bibliography page now includes links to scans of short articles and book excerpts, such as the below:

Read the scanned Ecuador lot from Elder "Catalog of the Skilton Collection" Read the list of Ecuador coins minted by US government mints in Hudgeons and Hudgeons, 2001 Blackbook Price Guide to World Coins Read the scanned article by Obojski "A numismatic visit to Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador"

View/report errors in standard catalogs or other reference works
View/confirm reported but unconfirmed varieties or issues
View/report newly discovered varieties or new issues
View/report information on Ecuadorian coin mintages
View/help with translation of the classic Historia Numismática by Carlos Ortuño
Help estimate Ecuadorian rare coin populations: report your rare or unique coins
Announcing two new varieties of the 1833 1 Real!
 

My Ecuadorian banknote collection:

Since the many varieties of Ecuadorian banknotes are not documented anywhere, life is unnecesarily complicated for the Ecuadorian banknote collector. Since he has no checklist of all of the varieties available, he has no idea how complete his collection may be. And when he wants to buy a banknote or trade with someone else, he has no way to know if their note is one he needs or not, based on their brief description of it as "Pick #127 1995". He can email or call them to ask the series, but there is no way to ask the signature type of the note over the phone without some reference to compare with. I am putting scans of the fronts of my Ecuadorian banknotes on line in the hopes that they can begin to serve as this reference.

Click here to see my Ecuadorian banknote collection
 

Help me out:

Help me identify these items
View or help me fill my wantlist
Items for sale and ordering information [or click here to jump directly to the page with my extra stamps/coins/medals/tokens, or here to jump directly to the page with my extra banknotes]
Give me feedback about my site

Favorite Links
	Correos del Ecuador Official home page for Ecuador's postal system. Information on postal rates, the "Código Postal Ecuatoriano" (apparently something similar to the US's zip code or Brazil's CEP) that they are trying to implement, and Philatelic Museum. The Philatelic Museum is especially valuable because it contains images of all of the postal issues to date; there is a normal version and a 3 dimensional "virtual museum" version (the 3 dimensional version would not load on my machine).
	Numismatic History of the Colonial Period Pages by the Mexico Mint. Includes images of some pieces from their collection.
	Coin News Britain's biggest-selling coin magazine, with information on both British and World Coins. The publisher's website includes the table of contents from the current and past issues, and an online form for subscribing. Subscribers are entitled to free classified ads.
	Medal News British magazine dedicated to medals and battles, which seems to have a focus on British ones, although it does include others. The publisher's website includes the table of contents from the current and past issues, and an online form for subscribing. Subscribers are entitled to free classified ads and the Medal Tracker service.
	Numismática y Monedas by Enrique Rubio Santos Site in Spanish. Extensive glossary of numismatic terms (downloadable or viewable on-line), discussion forum, links to various numismatic associations, mints, and more
	Arturo Sotomayor Castro's Home Page Major Ecuadorian Paper Money Collector
	Banco Central del Ecuador Ecuadorian Central Bank
	Banco Central del Ecuador Historical Exchange Rate Information Click here to view the value of the sucre on any day from 1990 on!
	Tour America... Museum of Tokens Focused on US and Canadian tokens
	Bolsa de Valores de Guayaquil Ecuadorian stock market, with currency converter, guestbook and links.
	Club Filatélico Guayaquil Guayaquil Stamp Club (American Philatelic Society Chapter 832); online membership application (worldwide members welcomed), information on and images of latest Ecuadorian stamp issues, links, articles
	Ken Potter's Error Coinage Educational Image Gallery Includes images of errors such as doubled dies and overdates.
	Numismatic History of Ecuador Página de Fernando Uyaguari
	Numismatic Museum of Cuenca Visit them online or in person!
	Rare Coins of Ecuador Eduardo Carrión Letort: Ecuadorian Rare Coin Dealer
	Trevor Wilkin's Polymer Notes Site Educational information on plastic notes produced by Ecuador and other countries; paper and plastic notes for sale. Highly recommended for its information on plastic trials of Ecuador 10 and 100 sucre notes similar to P115 and P118.
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