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500 Sucres - Galápagos Penguin
| Issuer | Galapagos Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 145 × 70 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of Galápagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) with their scientific name inscribed below, accompanied by a stylized vignette of a Galápagos giant tortoise and a cartographic representation of the Galápagos Islands archipelago. The denomination 500 SUCRES appears in bold lettering, with the inscription GALÁPAGOS PENGUIN across the upper field. Design elements are rendered in a commemorative illustrative style typical of collector issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of Darwin's Arch, the iconic natural rock formation situated southeast of Darwin Island in the Galápagos archipelago, rendered in an illustrative engraving style. A portrait of the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) occupies a secondary position within the design. A disclaimer legend across the lower field explicitly identifies the note as a non-legal-tender collector's item. |
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| Comments |
The Galápagos Islands have no monetary authority and do not issue currency — Ecuador abolished the sucre in 2000 when it dollarized its economy, and the islands use the U.S. dollar in daily commerce. A "500 Sucres" note dated 2025 and attributed to a Galápagos issuer is a fantasy piece with no governmental backing, no legal tender status anywhere, and no place in a serious currency inventory.
Collector novelty items of this type are sometimes marketed as "souvenir banknotes." That is the accurate description here.