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50 Dollars - Elizabeth II Kakapo
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1993 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.77 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II COOK ISLANDS RDM 1993 |
| Reverse description | Highly detailed close-up portrait of a Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), the critically endangered flightless parrot of New Zealand, depicted in three-quarter view occupying the majority of the coin's field, its intricately engraved plumage rendered with fine relief work. The legend ENDANGERED arcs along the upper left periphery and WILDLIFE along the upper right, separated by the bird's head. The denomination 50 DOLLARS is inscribed along the lower border. |
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| Additional information |
The kakapo entry in Cook Islands' wildlife coinage program coincided with one of the most desperate points in the species' recovery effort. By 1993, the wild population had collapsed to fewer than 50 individuals, and the New Zealand Department of Conservation had only recently transferred the last known birds to predator-free offshore islands. The coin appeared at a moment when extinction was genuinely considered likely by the scientists managing the program.
The .583 fineness is characteristic of Cook Islands' gold issues from this period — a deliberate cost reduction that kept face-value denominations nominally credible while pricing pieces within reach of the collector market rather than bullion buyers.