The coins of Ecuador have traditionally been both respected as difficult to obtain, and very popular among collectors. While not a particularly extensive series (as opposed to, say, Colombia), the Ecuadorean series is complex nonetheless. Thankfully, good references about it have been available for a long time. For example, Dale Seppa’s checklists are a great and inexpensive starting point. Years ago, the more serious collector had to search for a copy of Ortuño’s "Historia Numismática de Ecuador", which is not that easy to find. While it is the best in my opinion, it failed to correctly analyze the 1862 issues and since it is in Spanish, it is difficult for some collectors. The alternative was Hoyos’ "La Moneda Ecuatoriana a través de los tiempos” which was also in Spanish. Today we have an excellent alternative in Michael Anderson’s authoritative reference ("Numismatic History of Ecuador") which is written in English, and, as a bonus not usually encountered in our area of interest, very well written.