5 Cents - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait

Cook Islands gained self-governing status in 1965 in free association with New Zealand, and its coinage has always occupied an odd administrative position — legal tender domestically but effectively displaced by New Zealand currency in everyday transactions. These small-denomination pieces circulated minimally as a result.

The third portrait of Elizabeth II, by Raphael Maklouf, was adopted across Commonwealth territories beginning in 1985.