1 Dollar - Elizabeth II VE Day

Cook Islands has issued commemorative dollars under Elizabeth II's name at a rate that strains credulity — hundreds of thematic issues, most struck by the Pobjoy Mint or the New Zealand Mint on contract, with the Cook Islands government receiving a licensing fee while having no meaningful role in design or distribution. VE Day issues of this type circulate almost entirely among thematic collectors rather than through any channel connected to the Pacific islands nominally on the obverse.

Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945, was declared after Germany's unconditional surrender was signed at Reims the previous day — a timing detail that caused genuine diplomatic friction with the Soviet Union, which insisted on a second signing in Berlin on May 9.