50 Dollars - Elizabeth II Hedgehog

Cook Islands issued a run of novelty wildlife coins in the late 1980s and early 1990s, largely targeting the collector and thematic market rather than circulation — the hedgehog being one of the more unusual choices for a Pacific island nation with no native hedgehog population whatsoever. The series was produced under license arrangements common to small Commonwealth territories that used coin programs as a revenue stream rather than a monetary instrument.

KM#144 is frequently found in original packaging from the Franklin Mint distribution network, which handled much of the Cook Islands collector output during this period.