Catalog
1/2 Real
| Issuer | Ecuador |
|---|---|
| Year | 1838-1840 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.85 g |
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| Obverse description | Central device features a fasces surmounted by a Phrygian cap, flanked by two cornucopiae, with a bow and arrows across the base. The design is rendered in relief within a beaded border. The circular legend reads REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR QUITO, positioned along the periphery of the coin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Milled |
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| Additional information |
Ecuador had only declared independence from Gran Colombia in 1830, and its early coinage was struck under severe institutional constraints — no established mint infrastructure, limited silver supply, and a monetary system still disentangling itself from Spanish colonial conventions. The Quito mint, operating sporadically, produced these fractional pieces in debased billon-grade silver at .666 fineness rather than the colonial standard, a deliberate reduction reflecting the new republic's constrained treasury.
KM#22 is notably short-lived, replaced within a few years as Ecuador attempted to regularize its coinage laws.