Part of a novelty collector series issued under Cook Islands' long-running licensing arrangement that allows foreign mints — in this case almost certainly the Austrian Mint or a central European contractor — to produce themed legal tender in the islands' name without any meaningful local circulation. The chocolate-infused coin format, where actual cocoa mass is pressed into a recess in the planchet, was pioneered around 2013–2014 and Cook Islands was among the first sovereign names attached to the concept. The coins were never intended for exchange; retail price at issue exceeded face value by a factor of roughly ten.
Part of a novelty collector series issued under Cook Islands' long-running licensing arrangement that allows foreign mints — in this case almost certainly the Austrian Mint or a central European contractor — to produce themed legal tender in the islands' name without any meaningful local circulation. The chocolate-infused coin format, where actual cocoa mass is pressed into a recess in the planchet, was pioneered around 2013–2014 and Cook Islands was among the first sovereign names attached to the concept. The coins were never intended for exchange; retail price at issue exceeded face value by a factor of roughly ten.