5 Dollars - Elizabeth II 30th Anniversary Election of John Paul II

John Paul II was elected on October 16, 1978 — the first non-Italian pope in 455 years — making the 30th anniversary in 2008 a commercially significant milestone for commemorative coin programs worldwide. Cook Islands issued heavily into this market throughout the 2000s, frequently partnering with the Austrian Mint, which supplied the Swarovski crystal inlay technology used here.

The crystals are heat-set into pre-cut recesses in the planchet before striking, a process that occasionally produces misaligned inlays on poorly handled examples — worth checking before grading submission.