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500 Dollars - Charles III Coast Guard
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | The obverse presents a dramatic two-register composition against a textured antique field. In the upper register, a gold-highlighted silhouette of a Coast Guard rescue diver is depicted descending on a hoist cable, rendered in vivid gilded relief against a polished mirror field; below the waterline, engraved details show turbulent waves, a raised hand of a survivor, and the wreckage of a stricken vessel in the right background. The bold incuse legend ONLY THE BRAVE ARE FREE divides the two registers horizontally across the field. In the lower register, a recessed circular medallion bears the diademed effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, the work of engraver IRB, surrounded by the legends ELIZABETH II to the left, 500 DOLLARS above, COOK ISLANDS to the right, and the date 2023 below. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ONLY THE BRAVE ARE FREE ELIZABETH II 500 DOLLARS COOK ISLANDS IRB 2023 |
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| Additional information |
The Cook Islands has operated one of the world's most prolific numismatic programs since the 1970s, licensing its currency authority to third-party mints producing collector issues that never circulate domestically. This particular denomination — nominally legal tender in Avarua — represents a face value utterly disconnected from the metal's actual worth, a common feature of the Cook Islands framework that allows foreign mints to exploit the issuing authority arrangement.
Charles III's accession in September 2022 triggered a predictable wave of commemorative output across Commonwealth-affiliated issuers, of which Cook Islands supplied a disproportionate share.