Catalog
2 Décimos Galapagos Counterstamp
| Issuer | Ecuador |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884-1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Galapagos Counterstamp |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central device features the Coat of Arms of Ecuador, depicting a condor with outstretched wings surmounting an oval shield containing a steamship on a river, with Mount Chimborazo in the background, flanked by laurel and palm branches. The circular legend surrounding the arms reads the denomination, fineness, and weight specifications. In the lower exergue, the mint name SANTIAGO CHILE appears with the assayer initials D.T., identifying this example as struck at the Santiago de Chile Mint. The legend is disposed around the full periphery of the coin within a beaded border. |
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| Mintage | ND (1884-1916) SANTIAGO - RA mark attributed to Rogelio Alvarado |
| Additional information |
Ecuador's Galápagos Islands presented a persistent logistical problem for the central government: supplying sufficient coinage to a remote archipelago with almost no regular commercial shipping. The solution, applied across several decades, was to counterstamp existing silver coins — typically Chilean and Peruvian pieces of compatible weight — with a distinctive punch authorizing their circulation at the 2 décimos valuation specifically within the islands.
The host coins vary considerably, and attributing a given piece to KM#51.1 depends entirely on the counterstamp itself rather than the underlying planchet. Collectors should note that fakes of the punch exist.