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50 Dollars - Elizabeth II Captain James Cook
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1993 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the George IV State Diadem and a drop earring, as modelled by Raphael David Maklouf. The legend ELIZABETH II runs along the left periphery and COOK ISLANDS along the right periphery, both in raised Latin capitals. The date 1993 appears in the lower exergue beneath the portrait. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Cook Islands issued a prolonged run of commemorative gold pieces through the late 1980s and early 1990s under licensing arrangements that had little to do with local monetary policy — these were collector instruments produced for the international market, with the island government receiving a fee. Cook himself never set foot on the islands bearing his name; the archipelago was sighted during his second voyage in 1773 but named in his honor posthumously by Admiralty cartographers.
The .5833 fineness is a deliberate choice, placing this piece at exactly 14-karat — a lower gold standard chosen to reduce production costs while maintaining a nominal face value defensible for legal tender purposes.