Ecuador P113d(2) Ser IB 5 Sucres 1988 UNC—The Man They Named The Money After

One of Ecuador's most enduring banknotes, the 5 Sucres honors the liberator whose name the currency itself bears — a fitting tribute to the man who helped free South America from Spanish rule.

Front

• Color: Black on multicolor underprint
• Portrait: Antonio José de Sucre at center
• Issuer name: "BANCO CENTRAL DEL ECUADOR" on top, "SOCIEDAD ANONIMA" below
• Face value: "CINCO SUCRES" in letters below portrait; numeral "5" on sides and all four corners
• Signatures: Varies by series and date (see Varieties below)

Back

• Color: Red on white
• Coat of arms of Ecuador at center
• Issuer name: "BANCO CENTRAL DEL ECUADOR" on top
• Face value: "CINCO SUCRES" below coat of arms; "5" numerals on sides and corners

Other Characteristics

• Varieties:
  • P-108a / P-108b (1975–1983) — printed by American Banknote Corporation, USA; size 155 × 66 mm
  • P-113a / P-113b / P-113c / P-113d (1958–1988) — printed by De La Rue, London; size 156 × 67 mm
  • This note: P-113d (2) 22 November 1988, 2nd signature variety: Signatures: José Morillo Batlle / Gonzalo Córdova Galarza / José Luis Alvarez.Series IB.
• Catalog numbers: Pick P-108, P-113; Numista N#202419 (P-108), N#204253 (P-113)
• Composition: Paper
• Size: 155–156 × 66–67 mm
• Issuing entity: Central Bank of Ecuador (Banco Central del Ecuador)
• Printer: American Banknote Corporation (P-108) or De La Rue, London (P-113)
• Demonetized: 30 March 2001
• Currency: Sucre (1884–2000)

The Man the Money Was Named After

Antonio José de Sucre (1795–1830) was one of the most brilliant military commanders of the South American independence movement. Born in Cumaná (present-day Venezuela), he rose to become Simón Bolívar's most trusted general and closest friend. At just 26 years old, he commanded the patriot forces at the Battle of Pichincha (1822) — fought on the slopes of a volcano overlooking Quito — which secured Ecuador's independence. He later won the decisive Battle of Ayacucho (1824), effectively ending Spanish colonial rule in South America. He served as the first president of Bolivia, a country named after his mentor. Tragically, he was assassinated at age 35 while traveling through the mountains of Colombia, his killers never conclusively identified. Ecuador named its currency the sucre in his honor — meaning every transaction in the country for over a century carried his legacy.

About Ecuador

• Origin of name: From the Spanish word for "equator" — the country straddles the geographic equator, one of only a handful of nations named for a geographic feature
• Capital: Quito (city pop. ~1.8 million; metro pop. ~2.8 million)
  • Origin of name: From the Quitu people, an indigenous group who inhabited the region before Inca and Spanish conquest
• Population: ~18 million (UN 2024) — comparable to the Netherlands or Chile
• Area: 283,561 km² (109,484 mi²) — similar to Colorado or the United Kingdom
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$13,000 USD (2023)
• Main exports: Petroleum, bananas, shrimp, cut flowers, cacao, tuna
• Borders: Colombia (north), Peru (south and east); Pacific Ocean (west)
• Official language: Spanish; Kichwa and Shuar recognized as intercultural languages
• Ethnicities: Mestizo (~72%), Montubio (~7%), Afro-Ecuadorian (~7%), Indigenous (~7%), White (~6%), other (~1%)
• Memberships: United Nations (founding member, 1945); OAS (1948); OPEC (1973–1992, rejoined 2007, withdrew 2020); WTO (1996); UNASUR (2008; hosts secretariat in Quito)
• Sovereignty: Declared independence from Spain on August 10, 1809 (first cry of independence); full independence achieved May 24, 1822 (Battle of Pichincha); Republic established 1830

Ecuador Unfiltered

• Oil changed everything — Ecuador discovered major oil reserves in the Amazon in the 1960s–70s, transforming the economy overnight and funding rapid modernization, but also triggering decades of environmental devastation and political instability.
• Dollarized in desperation — After a catastrophic banking crisis and hyperinflation in the late 1990s, Ecuador abandoned the sucre entirely in 2000 and adopted the US dollar as its official currency — one of only a handful of countries to do so.
• Four presidents in one week — In January 2000, Ecuador cycled through multiple heads of state in a matter of days during a military-backed coup, one of the most chaotic political transitions in Latin American history.
• The Galápagos — Ecuador administers the Galápagos Islands, 900 km off the coast, where Charles Darwin's observations in 1835 helped inspire On the Origin of Species. The islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
• Highest capital city — Quito sits at 2,850 meters (9,350 ft) above sea level, making it the second-highest official capital city in the world after La Paz/Sucre, Bolivia.
• The real equator is not where you think — The famous "Mitad del Mundo" monument marking the equator near Quito is actually off by about 240 meters. GPS confirms the true equatorial line runs through a nearby indigenous site called Catequilla.

Own this piece of Ecuadorian history — a note that circulated through one of South America's most turbulent and fascinating centuries, bearing the face of the liberator who gave the currency its name. A conversation piece as much as a collectible.