Catalog
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| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 9.6 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents conjoined left-facing busts of Benjamin Franklin and Captain James Cook in high relief, with Cook depicted in the foreground wearing his tricorn naval hat adorned with a cockade rosette. Facsimile signatures of B. Franklin and James Cook appear beneath the portraits, flanking the Franklin Mint mark and the fineness inscription 900/1000 FINE GOLD. The arc legend UNITED STATES BICENTENNIAL and the commemorative dates 1776-1976 curve along the upper field, while ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS arcs along the lower rim. The engraver's initials JB for James Berry are visible at the lower right of the design. |
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| Reverse lettering | UNITED STATES BICENTENNIAL 1776-1976 JB B. Franklin James Cook FM 900/1.000 FINE GOLD ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS |
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| Additional information |
The Cook Islands entered the commemorative gold market early and aggressively, issuing this piece as one of several Pacific island nations that licensed American Bicentennial themes in 1976. The political logic was straightforward: self-governing in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands had limited revenue streams, and numismatic issues targeting the American collector market were a reliable source of foreign exchange throughout the 1970s.
Fr#3 places this squarely in the Friedberg gold census — a relatively thin series for this issuer.