Ecuador's central bank was founded in 1927 specifically to consolidate and replace the chaotic note-issuing privileges of several private commercial banks, and these early silver sucres were among its first coinage issues — a deliberate assertion of state monetary control after decades of privately-issued currency domination. The .720 fineness reflects a deliberate step down from the earlier .900 fine issues of the pre-central bank period.
Ecuador's central bank was founded in 1927 specifically to consolidate and replace the chaotic note-issuing privileges of several private commercial banks, and these early silver sucres were among its first coinage issues — a deliberate assertion of state monetary control after decades of privately-issued currency domination. The .720 fineness reflects a deliberate step down from the earlier .900 fine issues of the pre-central bank period.