1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Year of the Dragon

Cook Islands has issued commemorative dollar pieces under its own authority since the early 1970s, despite having no independent monetary system — New Zealand currency circulates in practice. The 2012 Year of the Dragon issue falls within a long-running series of licensed bullion and semi-numismatic pieces produced largely for the collector export market, with actual striking contracted to external mints rather than any facility on the islands themselves.

The dragon year falls on a 12-year cycle; 2012 was notably the first dragon year following the 2008 financial crisis, a period that drove sharp growth in silver coin demand globally.