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100 Dollars - Elizabeth II Red-crowned crane
| Issuer | Government of the Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1993 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1972-date) |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, as modelled by Raphael David Maklouf, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, a pearl drop earring, and a pearl necklace. The legend ELIZABETH II arcs along the upper left field and COOK ISLANDS along the upper right, with the date 1993 positioned centrally at the base. The portrait is rendered in high relief against a deeply mirrored proof field, with the engraver's initials RDM visible at the truncation of the bust. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Three red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) depicted in a naturalistic wetland setting, standing among aquatic grasses and shallow water. The central and left-hand birds are shown in a dignified upright stance, while the right-hand bird is rendered with wings partially spread. The scene is executed in fine relief against a mirror-polished proof field, conveying the elegance and rarity of this endangered species. The legend ENDANGERED arcs along the upper left and WILDLIFE along the upper right, with the denomination 100 DOLLARS inscribed along the lower exergual area. |
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| Additional information |
The red-crowned crane issue is part of a wave of large-format silver wildlife coins that Cook Islands produced through the early 1990s in partnership with external minting houses, primarily targeting collector markets in Japan, Germany, and the United States rather than any domestic circulation. The 155-gram planchet puts this squarely in the five-troy-ounce category — a format that was commercially aggressive for its time and helped fund the Islands' government through licensing arrangements rather than conventional taxation or trade revenue.
The red-crowned crane held particular appeal for Japanese buyers, where the bird carries deep cultural weight in Hokkaido, home to the largest wild population. That market calculus was almost certainly deliberate.