Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
500 Dollars - Elizabeth II 30th Anniversary of the Concorde
| Issuer | Cook Islands Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 2006 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Draped right-facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II after the fourth definitive portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. The legend ELIZABETH II arcs along the left field, 500 DOLLARS along the upper field, and COOK ISLANDS along the right field, all in raised Latin characters. The date 2006 appears in the lower exergue. The portrait is rendered with fine detail characteristic of Rank-Broadley's mature style. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A finely detailed high-relief depiction of the Concorde supersonic passenger aircraft dominates the lower half of the field, shown in a three-quarter perspective view with landing gear extended, evoking the moment of takeoff or landing. Above the aircraft, a stylized and inlaid platinum or rhodium-finished silhouette of the Concorde's distinctive ogival delta wing and drooped nose occupies the upper central field, providing a two-toned visual contrast. The curved legend CONCORDE - 30th Anniversary arcs along the upper periphery in raised Latin lettering, with the date 2006 inscribed in the lower exergue. The overall composition commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Concorde's inaugural commercial service in 1976. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Concorde program ended not with a crash but with a boardroom decision: Air France and British Airways retired the fleet in October 2003, citing unsustainable operating costs in the post-9/11 travel slump and the lingering commercial shadow of the July 2000 Air France disaster near Paris. The 30th anniversary being marked here counts from the type's first commercial service on January 21, 1976 — simultaneously Paris–Dakar–Rio and London–Bahrain.
Cook Islands became a favored issuer for large-format commemorative gold in the 2000s precisely because its autonomous status allowed aggressive licensing arrangements with private mints. KM#1378 was produced in extremely limited quantities aimed squarely at the aviation memorabilia collector market, not at circulation.