Ecuador 1896-L F sucre
This specimen was lot 35411 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $432. The catalog description[1] noted, "ECUADOR. Sucre, 1896-LIMA F. Lima Mint. PCGS AU-58. A more SCARCE assayer mark." After a period of striking reales, pesos and escudos which must be regarded as a failure, Ecuador ceased minting coins in 1862. In 1884, the government tried again, this time with coinage produced on contract by the Heaton mint in Birmingham, England. A new currency conforming to the Latin Monetary Union was introduced, the sucre, with its division the centavo. Silver sucres were produced at Heaton 1884-95, at Santiago, Chile, 1888-89, and at Lima, Peru, 1890-97. The specimen shown is from Lima. The type is not common but reasonably available in circulated condition. Both assayers TF and F (who may be the same official) are noted for 1896.
Recorded mintage: 174,000 including assayer TF.
Specification: 25 g, 0.900 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-53.3.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Elizondo, Carlos A., Eight Reales and Pesos of the New World, San Antonio, TX: 1968.
- Raymond, Wayte, The Silver Dollars of North and South America, 2nd Ed., Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing, 1964.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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