One Hundred Sucres, Low Series Pair
Two consecutive issues, N.° 00000002 and 00000003 — among the first banknotes printed in the entire issue
This pair of Cien Sucres, identical in date and series, bears consecutive numbers almost at the very beginning of the print run —00000002 and 00000003—, immediately after specimen N.° 1. For collectors, consecutive pairs with such low numbers are considerably more coveted than an individual banknote: they provide tangible evidence of the start of an issue.
Obverse and Reverse
Obverse:oval portrait of Simón Bolívar in military uniform at center, with large “100” counters in all four corners within ornamental frames, the inscription “BANCO CENTRAL DEL ECUADOR”, the place of issue “Quito”, the date, the signatures of the General Manager and Deputy General Manager, and the serial number repeated in blue ink in both upper corners.
Reverse:national coat of arms of Ecuador in the center —Andean condor, sun and landscape of the Chimborazo volcano with the Guayas steamship—, flanked by large figures “100” and the legend “CIEN SUCRES”, printed in violet hue with symmetrical guilloches.
The Ecuadorian Sucre
The sucre, named after the independence hero Antonio José de Sucre, was the currency of Ecuador between 1884 and 2000, when the severe financial crisis of the late 1990s led to its replacement by the US dollar. This 1993 Hundred Sucres bill belongs to the last years of the national currency, shortly before the accelerated inflation at the end of the century led to the official dollarization of the Ecuadorian economy in the year 2000.
Legacy for Collectors
Pairs of banknotes with consecutive and extremely low numbering —like this N.° 00000002 and 00000003— are pieces in high demand within thematic collecting, as they document the very beginning of a printing run, something that rarely survives intact and in pairs to this day.
Sources
- Pick, Albert.Standard Catalog of World Paper Money.
- Numista —numista.com(opens in a new tab)
- Heritage Auctions —ha.com(opens in a new tab)
- Central Bank of Ecuador —bce.fin.ec(opens in a new tab)