20 Centavos

Ecuador's nickel coinage of the 1930s was struck under contract at the Philadelphia Mint, a common arrangement for smaller Latin American nations lacking domestic minting infrastructure. The 1937 issue came during a period of considerable political instability — Ecuador cycled through multiple heads of state across the decade, including Federico Páez, whose government was in power when this coin entered circulation.

The KM#77.1 designation distinguishes this from a later subtype variant tied to minor die modifications.