1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Hello Kitty

Cook Islands has long operated as a licensing vehicle for novelty and commemorative issues, with very little monetary intent behind most of its modern silver program. This 2004 piece was produced under license from Sanrio during Hello Kitty's 30th anniversary year — the character having debuted in 1974 on a small vinyl coin purse sold in Japan.

Struck in a low-mintage run aimed squarely at crossover collectors, it has found a more stable secondary market among Sanrio memorabilia collectors than among numismatists.