Catalog
4 Reales
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Quito |
|---|---|
| Year | 1862 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Reales |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The national arms of Ecuador displayed centrally: an oval shield depicting Mount Chimborazo in the background with a steamship on the river in the foreground, surmounted by a condor with wings spread perching atop the shield. The shield is flanked by two national flags and two laurel-palm branches tied at the base, with crossed fasces below. The denomination 4 R appears in the lower field, to the left and right of the shield respectively. The legend REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR arcs around the upper periphery, and the mint name QUITO is inscribed along the lower border. |
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| Additional information |
By 1862, Ecuador's Quito mint was operating under chronic financial strain, and the debased .666 fineness of this issue reflects a deliberate policy of stretching silver reserves rather than any metallurgical accident. The mint had already cycled through repeated closures and reopenings across the preceding decades, its output perpetually disrupted by political instability and the difficulty of sourcing consistent bullion in the Andean interior.
KM#41 is among the final emissions from Quito before the mint's definitive closure in 1862.