Part of a weapons-themed series issued by Cook Islands through the New Zealand Mint, this piece commemorates the Avtomat Kalashnikova designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947 and adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949. The AK-47 went on to become the most widely produced assault rifle in history, with estimates ranging from 75 to 100 million units manufactured across dozens of licensed and unlicensed producers worldwide.
Cook Islands has no meaningful connection to the weapon — the series was a commercial licensing exercise, typical of the island nation's prolific novelty bullion program.
Part of a weapons-themed series issued by Cook Islands through the New Zealand Mint, this piece commemorates the Avtomat Kalashnikova designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947 and adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949. The AK-47 went on to become the most widely produced assault rifle in history, with estimates ranging from 75 to 100 million units manufactured across dozens of licensed and unlicensed producers worldwide.
Cook Islands has no meaningful connection to the weapon — the series was a commercial licensing exercise, typical of the island nation's prolific novelty bullion program.