Cook Islands has issued high-kilogram silver under its own authority since the 1990s, a legal arrangement that allows private minting companies — primarily operating out of Europe — to produce collector pieces using a Pacific nation's nominal issuing rights. The polar bear kilogram format has become a recurring vehicle for that arrangement, with successive monarchs appearing as the series transitions from Elizabeth II to Charles III following her death in September 2022.
Cook Islands has issued high-kilogram silver under its own authority since the 1990s, a legal arrangement that allows private minting companies — primarily operating out of Europe — to produce collector pieces using a Pacific nation's nominal issuing rights. The polar bear kilogram format has become a recurring vehicle for that arrangement, with successive monarchs appearing as the series transitions from Elizabeth II to Charles III following her death in September 2022.