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1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Captain James Cook
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2009 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 31.135 g |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, pearl drop earring, and pearl necklace, as modeled by engraver Raphael David Maklouf (third portrait). The legend 'ELIZABETH II' arcs along the upper rim and 'COOK ISLANDS' along the right, while the lower arc bears the inscriptions '1oz 999 SILVER', '2009', and 'ONE DOLLAR', all separated by raised bullet points. The engraver's initials 'RDM' appear incuse below the truncation. The mirror-polished proof field provides strong contrast against the finely detailed bust. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central design featuring a large stylized letter 'C' rendered in color, enclosing a portrait of Captain James Cook alongside a depiction of his sailing vessel. A colored cartographic rendering of Australia and surrounding waters forms the background, tracing Cook's voyages of exploration. The legend 'CAPTAIN JAMES COOK' arcs across the design, accompanied by his birth and death years '1728-1779'. The composition blends color printing with relief engraving to produce a vivid commemorative tableau celebrating Cook's historic Pacific journeys. |
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| Additional information |
Cook Islands has issued commemorative dollars under the Captain Cook theme repeatedly since the 1970s, but the 2009 series drew renewed attention partly because it coincided with the 240th anniversary of Cook's first Pacific voyage aboard HM Bark Endeavour, which departed Plymouth in August 1768. Cook himself never set foot on the islands that now bear his name — he sighted them in 1773 and 1777 but made only limited landings, and the archipelago was actually named by Russian cartographers in his honor decades after his death at Kealakekua Bay in 1779.