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50 Cents - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1972-1983 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1972-date) |
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| Obverse description | Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, depicting the second (Arnold Machin) portrait, with the Queen wearing a tiara and a draped shoulder, her hair styled in soft waves. The legend ELIZABETH II arcs along the left field, and COOK ISLANDS arcs along the right field. The date appears in the lower exergue beneath the bust. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A finely engraved Bonito fish (Sarda australis) depicted in dynamic profile, oriented diagonally across the field with the head facing lower left and the tail curving toward upper right, rendered with detailed scale and fin work. Water lines and small bubbles fill the surrounding field, conveying a sense of movement beneath the surface. The denomination numeral 50 appears in large digits in the upper left field. The engraver's initials JB (James Berry) are incuse at lower right. |
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| Additional information |
Cook Islands gained self-governance in free association with New Zealand in 1965, and the 1972 coin series — of which this is a part — marked the first time the islands issued their own decimal coinage, replacing the New Zealand currency that had circulated there. The series was designed to assert a distinct Pacific identity while the monetary relationship with New Zealand remained intact.
The second portrait of Elizabeth II, by Arnold Machin, dates to 1965 and was the standard effigy across most Commonwealth issues through the early 1980s.