5 Dollars - Elizabeth II Christ Pantocrator

The Christ Pantocrator mosaic at Hagia Sophia — the likely iconographic source for this issue — survived the Byzantine Iconoclasm only because it was plastered over, re-emerging centuries later. Cook Islands has leaned heavily on religious and artistic icon series since the 2000s, partnering with the Pobjoy Mint and later B.H. Mayer to produce collector bullion rounds that circulate almost exclusively through the secondary market rather than the islands themselves.