Catalog
5 Dollars - Charles III Carcharodontosaurus
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2026 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a dramatic high-relief bust of an adult Carcharodontosaurus in three-quarter profile, its massive jaws agape to reveal a row of serrated teeth, with detailed scaly skin texture throughout. Prehistoric fern fronds are engraved in the background field, rendered in an antique-finished coloured surface. In the lower portion of the field, a recessed rectangular cartouche bears the inscriptions 'CARCHARODONTOSAURUS' and 'JURASSIC RELICS' above the date '2026', with an inlaid genuine amber specimen set into a small aperture within the cartouche. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Carcharodontosaurus, the North African theropod whose name translates roughly as "shark-toothed lizard," was for decades known only from fragmentary material destroyed in the Munich bombing raids of 1944. The genus was effectively lost to science until Paul Sereno's 1996 expedition recovered a far more complete skull from the Sahara, reigniting serious study of what may have rivaled Tyrannosaurus in size. Cook Islands has made a cottage industry of silver bullion issues tied to paleontological subjects, and this piece sits in that commercially driven but technically precise niche.