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50 Dollars - Elizabeth II Christopher Columbus
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1989 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1972-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Facing three-quarter portrait bust of Christopher Columbus occupying the right field, wearing a period cap and draped garment, with the three-masted carrack Santa María depicted under full sail at sea to his left, waves breaking at the lower left. The commemorative legend 500 YEARS OF AMERICA 1492-1992 curves along the upper periphery, flanked by the dates, and the denomination 50 DOLLARS is inscribed along the lower border, separated by two raised dots. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to the wave of commemorative silver issued across Pacific and Caribbean territories in the late 1980s ahead of the 1992 quincentenary of Columbus's first Atlantic crossing. Cook Islands, like several small Commonwealth nations with nominal ties to the British Crown, leaned heavily on licensed commemorative programs during this period as a legitimate revenue stream — the coins were legal tender in name only, destined entirely for collector sets rather than circulation.
The Columbus quincentenary market became notoriously saturated; dozens of issuing authorities struck similar programs between 1989 and 1992.