1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Invasion Of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa, fought between April and June 1945, remains the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific theater — and one of the costliest of the entire war. American casualties exceeded 12,000 killed; Okinawan civilian deaths are estimated between 100,000 and 150,000, roughly a quarter of the island's population. The ferocity of the fighting, combined with kamikaze losses offshore, directly informed the casualty projections that shaped the decision to deploy atomic weapons two months later.

Cook Islands has issued commemorative dollars under this general series framework since the early 2000s, contracting production through external minting facilities. Gold-plated copper issues of this kind are struck for the collector market with no intended circulation.