1 Dollar - Elizabeth II An-74

Cook Islands has issued commemorative silver dollars under its own authority since 1972, despite using the New Zealand dollar for everyday commerce — a jurisdictional quirk that makes its coinage legal tender in name while being wholly collector-facing in practice. The "An-74" designation refers to the Antonov An-74, a Soviet-developed short takeoff and landing transport derived from the An-72, certificated for operations on unprepared Arctic airstrips where no other fixed-wing freighter of comparable capacity could reliably operate.