100 Dollars - Elizabeth II Whales

Cook Islands has issued commemorative gold under its own authority since the 1970s, despite having no domestic mint and conducting virtually all monetary policy through its relationship with New Zealand. The whale series from this period was produced for the collector market rather than circulation, with striking contracted to external facilities. The irregular dimensions — 30 × 18 mm — indicate a non-round planchet, almost certainly oval, a format occasionally used to accommodate wildlife subject matter and differentiate high-premium issues in a crowded commemorative market.