Catalog
5000 Sucres - Galápagos Sea Lion
| Issuer | Galapagos Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 145 × 70 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette composed of Galápagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) accompanied by a stylized Galápagos giant tortoise, with a cartographic underprint of the Galápagos Islands archipelago. The denomination 5000 SUCRES appears alongside the species name in Latin script. The design celebrates the endemic wildlife of the Galápagos in a commemorative collector's format. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of Darwin's Arch, the natural rock formation located southeast of Darwin Island in the Galápagos archipelago, accompanied by a portrait of the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). The denomination 5000 SUCRES is inscribed alongside Darwin's name and dates, with a disclaimer legend clarifying the note's non-legal-tender collector status. |
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| Comments |
The Galápagos Islands have no independent monetary authority and no history of issuing legal tender — Ecuador, which administers the archipelago, has used the U.S. dollar since 2000. A 2025 paper note denominated in sucres, a currency Ecuador officially abandoned that same year it dollarized, raises immediate questions about issuing legitimacy. The sucre was retired precisely because it collapsed; redenominating anything in it today is either a commemorative fiction or a novelty item.
Not a circulating banknote. Catalog accordingly.