25 Dollars - Elizabeth II Hello Kitty

Cook Islands has issued commemorative gold under licensing agreements with various intellectual property holders since the 1990s, and this piece is among the more unusual results of that program. The Hello Kitty character, created by Sanrio in 1974, was at peak Western licensing momentum in the early 2000s — which explains the timing. These issues were produced for the collector and gift market, not for any monetary purpose, and most were sold directly into Japan and Southeast Asia where Sanrio's brand commanded the highest premiums.