S engravers initial on drapery at truncation. The historic final year of Ecuadorian 4 Escudos and an unlisted variety, unknown to the editors of KM and Bill Christensen, who reported in the 1981 Maulme catalog that this date and 1843 "probably do not exist." Not only does the 1841 4 Escudos exist, but there are two distinct varieties: with engraver initial A at the front of the bust (as seen on the coins of 1836 to 1839) and with engraver initial S at the rear of the bust, as used on the 8 Escudos of 1841 through 1843. As a date, the 1841 4 Escudos is special as the end of this brief, rare series, but it is also the greatest rarity within that series: just four or five are thought to exist. The only previous offering of an 1841-S that we trace is the coin from Heritages September 2013 sale, an NGC AU-58 that brought $29,375. An 1841-A 4 Escudos from the Col. E.H.R. Green and Eric Newman collections, graded MS-62 (NGC), brought $49,937.50 in January 2014.<p>This example is lustrous and reflective, mostly light yellow gold with good contrast around design elements and some deeper orange tones on the reverse. The strike is mostly sharp, showing minor localized softness at the left obverse and left reverse periphery near 9:00. Some hairlines are seen on both sides, but no other marks or defects. This is a rare opportunity for specialists to acquire one of the great rarities of the early Ecuador gold series. From the Eldorado Collection of Colombian and Ecuadorian Coins.
