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1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Sir Francis Drake
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1996 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#268a |
| Obverse description | Right-facing crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara and a pearl drop earring, with a pearl necklace visible at the truncation. The legend ELIZABETH II arcs along the left field and COOK ISLANDS along the right field, with the date 1996 inscribed in the lower exergue. The portrait is rendered in fine relief consistent with the Raphael Maklouf effigy used on Commonwealth coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Left-facing draped bust portrait of Sir Francis Drake occupying the left half of the field, depicted with a beard and Elizabethan lace collar. To the right, a detailed engraving of a full-rigged sailing galleon underway on stylized waves, referencing Drake's circumnavigation aboard the Golden Hind. The legend SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 1540-1596 arcs along the upper field, and the denomination 1 DOLLAR appears in the lower exergue. |
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| Additional information |
Drake's circumnavigation of 1577–1580 was nominally a privateering raid against Spanish Pacific holdings, authorized by Elizabeth I under conditions of plausible deniability — she publicly distanced herself from the venture while privately investing in it. The Cook Islands issued a long series of commemorative dollars through the 1990s under licensing arrangements that had little to do with the islands' own history, making geopolitical connection between issuer and subject essentially irrelevant.
KM#268a denotes the silver variant; a base-metal version was struck concurrently.