1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Resignation of Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI's resignation in February 2013 was the first papal abdication in nearly 600 years — the last being Gregory XII in 1415, who stepped down to end the Western Schism. The decision, announced in Latin to a consistory of cardinals who largely did not understand what they were hearing until it was over, triggered an immediate commemorative coin rush from Pacific island jurisdictions.

Cook Islands issued dozens of such topical pieces annually through licensing arrangements, with the physical minting handled by overseas facilities rather than any domestic infrastructure.