Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
200 Dollars - Elizabeth II Year of the Ox
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Milled |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Right-facing crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II after Ian Rank-Broadley, depicted with characteristic curled coiffure, small drop earring, and a jewelled diadem, rendered in high relief against a deeply mirrored proof field. The engraver's initials IRB appear below the truncation of the neck. The legend ELIZABETH II arcs along the left periphery and COOK ISLANDS along the right, with the denomination $200, weight indication 5oz, and fineness Au999 inscribed along the lower border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central circular mother-of-pearl inlay, set within a raised gold border decorated with a ring of small floral motifs and a beaded outer rim, bearing a finely sculpted high-relief depiction of an ox in three-quarter frontal view, its broad horned head prominently rendered in the foreground. In the mid-ground to the left a calf and a bird are visible, while to the right a traditional structure and reed grasses evoke a pastoral countryside landscape. The legend YEAR OF THE OX arcs along the upper periphery of the gold border against a black-enamelled background, and the date 2021 is inscribed along the lower border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Cook Islands has operated one of the most prolific bullion and commemorative programs in the Pacific since the 1970s, issuing coins as legal tender despite having no independent monetary system — the New Zealand dollar functions as the actual circulating currency. This 5-troy-ounce gold piece belongs to a lunar series capitalizing on collector demand across East and Southeast Asian markets, where Year of the Ox issues from 2021 saw particularly strong uptake given the symbolic associations with diligence and prosperity in Chinese zodiac tradition.
At 155.5 grams of .999 fine gold, the piece carries bullion value that substantially exceeds its $200 face — a deliberate fiction that formalizes Cook Islands' legal tender status while bearing no relationship to actual purchasing power on the islands.