25 Dollars - Elizabeth II Centenary of British Sovereignty

Issued to mark the centenary of British sovereignty over the Cook Islands, formally established in 1888 when the islands were placed under a British protectorate at the request of local chiefs who feared annexation by France or Germany — both actively expanding in the Pacific at the time. Full annexation followed in 1900, with New Zealand assuming administrative control in 1901.

Cook Islands gained self-governing status in 1965 in free association with New Zealand, making the 1988 centenary a politically layered occasion.