5 Dollars - Elizabeth II Saint Martin

Saint Martin of Tours is one of the most reproduced subjects in medieval ecclesiastical art, but his association with coinage runs deeper than iconography — he was invoked as patron of the French monetary system for centuries, and Tours itself gave its name to the *tournois* denomination that dominated European trade currency through the 13th and 14th centuries. Cook Islands issued numerous themed silver pieces in this period through the Pacific island commemorative market, a distribution model that kept production costs low and collector premiums high.