Believe it or not, it’s really a buck.
Ecuador’s Central Bank (ECB) is reminding Ecuadorians that the U.S. Susan B. Anthony dollar coin is worth, well, a dollar.
The bank reports that the Anthony coin, which has circulated in Ecuador in small quantities since 2012, has been confused by some people, particularly vendors in markets, with 25 cent coins due to its silver color. In some cases, it reports, vendors have refused to accept the Anthonys, believing they were counterfeit.
Ecuadorians have become familiar with copper-toned U.S. dollar coins since the country adopted the U.S. dollar as its national currency in 1999 following an economic collapse. For years, the country has widely used the Sacagawea dollar. The coin bears the image of the native American woman, with a baby on her back, who is credited with saving the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804 and 1805.
In recent years, newer dollar coins, also copper-colored, bearing the images of U.S. presidents have circulated in Ecuador as well as the Sacagawea.
According to a ECB brochure, part of the popularity of the Sacagawea coin is the resemblance of Sacagawea to Ecuadorian indigenous women.
