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100 Dollars - Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee

Issuer Cook Islands
Year 1977
Type Non-circulating coin
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Obverse description Right-facing draped bust of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, engraved after the effigy by Arnold Machin. The legend 'ELIZABETH II' curves along the left field and 'COOK ISLANDS' along the right field, both in raised Latin lettering. The date '1977' appears in the lower exergue beneath the truncation. The portrait is rendered in high relief against a deeply mirrored proof field, conveying exceptional detail in the Queen's hair and drapery.
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Obverse lettering ELIZABETH II COOK ISLANDS 1977
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Additional information

Issued to mark Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, this Cook Islands gold piece appeared during a period when several Pacific and Caribbean nations with nominal ties to the Crown competed to put commemorative gold into the hands of collectors — a revenue strategy with little pretense of circulation intent. Cook Islands was particularly aggressive in this space through the late 1970s, authorizing a succession of limited gold issues that were sold internationally at significant premiums.

The .900 fineness places it in an older European alloy tradition rather than the .9999 standard that would dominate bullion coinage by the 1980s.