BANCO CENTRAL DEL ECUADOR'S MUSEO NUMISMATICO

My wife and I just returned from a trip to Ecuador, which included several days in Quito, its capitol. As many of the E-Sylum readers already know, Ecuador now uses the US dollar alongside its own minor coinage (centavos). I was delighted to find a numismatic exhibit in the Museo Numismatico at the Banco Central del Ecuador. Admittance was $1 US, which even included a postcard with a photograph of an 1838 Ecuadorian eight escudos.

The museum has a nice collection of Ecuadorian coins from the 16th century to present and an extensive collection of currency. The early republican coinage was particularly impressive especially the eight escudos, which are all quite rare. The exhibits were not well illuminated, but most coins were reasonably viewable on one side. Alas, my Spanish is poor and the descriptions were generally not translated to English, but it was still quite a pleasant experience. Regretfully no photography is allowed in the museum.

An 8 escudo from the Heritage archives

For more information, see: MUSEO NUMISMÁTICO (www.bce.fin.ec/contenido.php?CNT=ARB0001010)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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