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2 Shillings L. 1894, Government of the Cook Islands
| Issuer | Government of the Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1894 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Two crossed flags — a British Red Ensign and a Cook Islands flag — form the central vignette at the top of the note, flanked by a banner scroll bearing the act reference. A circular denomination medallion showing the numeral 2 appears at the upper right, with a serial number at the upper left. The main text panel, set within a fine guilloche border, bears the redemption inscription in letterpress script, with a red underprint reading TWO SHILLINGS across the centre. Signature lines for Registered and Receiver of Revenue appear at the lower left and right respectively. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain white paper with no printed design elements; faint show-through of the obverse underprint and text is visible from the face of the note. |
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| Comments |
Cook Islands currency history is thin, and this note sits at the very beginning of it. The 1894 issue predates New Zealand's formal annexation of the Cook Islands in 1901, placing it in the brief window when the islands operated under a British protectorate established in 1888. The Government of the Cook Islands at that point was a nominally indigenous administration under British oversight — meaning this note carries the authority of an institution that would cease to exist within a decade.
Pick 1 for any territory is always worth scrutiny. Very few examples are known to survive.