Circulated Sac Dollars in Ecuador

I recently went on a trip to Ecuador and, as the U.S. dollar is their
official currency, found it interesting to actually see our own Sac
Buck coins in such heavily circulated condition. I'm not sure grading
standards have even been established for the level of circulation on
some of the Sacs that I saw there. I never got one that looked like it
was above an XF+ in change. I kept a couple of the most worn ones that
I encountered, a 2001 that I would probably grade Fine and a 2000 that
is probably something like a VF. Just guessing, though. Apparently
they far prefer dollar coins to paper.

Conversely, I picked up about 30 or so Sacs from my local bank to take
down there with me and the lowest grade among them was probably AU58
with the great majority being shiny AU58+ to MS.

reality wrote:
I recently went on a trip to Ecuador and, as the U.S. dollar is their
official currency, found it interesting to actually see our own Sac
Buck coins in such heavily circulated condition. I'm not sure grading
standards have even been established for the level of circulation on
some of the Sacs that I saw there. I never got one that looked like it
was above an XF+ in change. I kept a couple of the most worn ones that
I encountered, a 2001 that I would probably grade Fine and a 2000 that
is probably something like a VF. Just guessing, though. Apparently
they far prefer dollar coins to paper.

Conversely, I picked up about 30 or so Sacs from my local bank to take
down there with me and the lowest grade among them was probably AU58
with the great majority being shiny AU58+ to MS.

I hear that a lot of people in Ecuador believe that the coin is a
special issue for them
and that Ms. Sac herself represents an Ecuador Indian woman.

"reality" wrote in message
ups.com...
I recently went on a trip to Ecuador and, as the U.S. dollar is their
official currency, found it interesting to actually see our own Sac
Buck coins in such heavily circulated condition. I'm not sure grading
standards have even been established for the level of circulation on
some of the Sacs that I saw there. I never got one that looked like it
was above an XF+ in change. I kept a couple of the most worn ones that
I encountered, a 2001 that I would probably grade Fine and a 2000 that
is probably something like a VF. Just guessing, though. Apparently
they far prefer dollar coins to paper.

Conversely, I picked up about 30 or so Sacs from my local bank to take
down there with me and the lowest grade among them was probably AU58
with the great majority being shiny AU58+ to MS.

Do they look like they are made with a different alloy? I know that they use
a different alloy on some of the Sacs that they ship out of country. They
are 'dumbed-down' versions of the Sacs made for the USA so it's cheaper to
make them.
Yesterday I recieved 2 SBA's in change and they actually used them as
dollars instead of quarters! Both were just exactly AU58's.

bri wrote:

Yesterday I recieved 2 SBA's in change and they actually used them as
dollars instead of quarters! Both were just exactly AU58's.


At what business establishment did you receive the SBA's in change?

--
©¿©¬
~
Ed Hendricks

bri wrote:
I know that they use a different alloy on some of the Sacs that they
ship out of country. They are 'dumbed-down' versions of the Sacs made
for the USA so it's cheaper to make them.

Where did you hear this? It sounds implausible to me.

--
Jim Seymour

stonej wrote:
reality wrote:
I recently went on a trip to Ecuador and, as the U.S. dollar is their
official currency, found it interesting to actually see our own Sac
Buck coins in such heavily circulated condition. I'm not sure grading
standards have even been established for the level of circulation on
some of the Sacs that I saw there. I never got one that looked like it
was above an XF+ in change. I kept a couple of the most worn ones that
I encountered, a 2001 that I would probably grade Fine and a 2000 that
is probably something like a VF. Just guessing, though. Apparently
they far prefer dollar coins to paper.

Conversely, I picked up about 30 or so Sacs from my local bank to take
down there with me and the lowest grade among them was probably AU58
with the great majority being shiny AU58+ to MS.

I hear that a lot of people in Ecuador believe that the coin is a
special issue for them
and that Ms. Sac herself represents an Ecuador Indian woman.

Interesting theory that makes sense. I should have asked someone that!

bri wrote:
"reality" wrote in message
ups.com...
I recently went on a trip to Ecuador and, as the U.S. dollar is their
official currency, found it interesting to actually see our own Sac
Buck coins in such heavily circulated condition. I'm not sure grading
standards have even been established for the level of circulation on
some of the Sacs that I saw there. I never got one that looked like it
was above an XF+ in change. I kept a couple of the most worn ones that
I encountered, a 2001 that I would probably grade Fine and a 2000 that
is probably something like a VF. Just guessing, though. Apparently
they far prefer dollar coins to paper.

Conversely, I picked up about 30 or so Sacs from my local bank to take
down there with me and the lowest grade among them was probably AU58
with the great majority being shiny AU58+ to MS.

Do they look like they are made with a different alloy? I know that they use
a different alloy on some of the Sacs that they ship out of country. They
are 'dumbed-down' versions of the Sacs made for the USA so it's cheaper to
make them.

Really? I haven't heard that one. The Sacs I encountered were well
worn for sure, but they didn't seem to be made of a different metal as
far as I could tell. But considering I've never seen one here in the
U.S. in a lower grade than choice AU it would be hard for me to say.

Yesterday I recieved 2 SBA's in change and they actually used them as
dollars instead of quarters! Both were just exactly AU58's.

LOL. Sadly, I've actually had a bank teller give me one as a quarter
before. You know that a coin design has failed when people who handle
all kinds of money on a daily basis get confused by them. A lot like
the short lived 20 cent piece design of the 1870s. It was just too
easy to confuse them with a quarter so it was quickly abandonded.

stonej wrote:

I hear that a lot of people in Ecuador believe that the coin is a
special issue for them
and that Ms. Sac herself represents an Ecuador Indian woman.

The way I heard it is that the women in Ecuador carry their children
the same way
as depicted on the Sacabuck, leading them to believe that its an
Ecuadorian woman.
Jean-Baptiste Chabonneau isn't much of an Ecuadorian name tho! 8-)

"Ed Hendricks" wrote in message
. ..
bri wrote:

Yesterday I recieved 2 SBA's in change and they actually used them as
dollars instead of quarters! Both were just exactly AU58's.


At what business establishment did you receive the SBA's in change?

--
©¿©¬
~
Ed Hendricks

At a gas station.
That has got to be the only time I ever got some in change!
I spent them back at the same place today ;-)

"Jim Seymour" wrote in message
...
bri wrote:
I know that they use a different alloy on some of the Sacs that they
ship out of country. They are 'dumbed-down' versions of the Sacs made
for the USA so it's cheaper to make them.

Where did you hear this? It sounds implausible to me.

--
Jim Seymour

Here's a picture of one--
http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?i...crev6uooo9.jpg
It might have been here where someone asked about it--I don't remember who
got it or where--it's not mine.
But I did save the picture just in case I found one and I wouldn't think it
was some kind of error.
You can see how it looks different than a nornal Sac. It looks cheaply made.
The US Mint makes coins for many other countries all over the world.