1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Lemonpeel Angelfish

Part of a Cook Islands wildlife series from the late 1990s that leaned heavily on the Pacific Islands' marine biodiversity as subject matter, these collector issues were produced almost entirely for the numismatic market — circulation was never the intent. The Cook Islands' arrangement with New Zealand gave it the latitude to issue commemorative coinage aggressively through this period, generating revenue through seigniorage rather than taxation.