The Cook Islands, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar circulates in parallel with the local Cook Islands Dollar; at the same time, the government also authorises many legal tender coins in the Cook Islands Dollar currency for collector's purposes. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes, including one ounce of silver - such as this coin.
This coin is the second issue in a Perth Mint series of coloured silver ounces commemorating Famous Naval Battles and features the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). As part of Napoleon's plans to invade England, the French and Spanish fleets combined to take control of the English Channel and provide the Grande Armée safe passage. The allied fleet, under the command of French Admiral Villeneuve, sailed from the port of Cádiz in the south of Spain on 18 October 1805. They encountered the British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson, recently assembled to meet this threat, in the Atlantic Ocean along the southwest coast of Spain, off Cape Trafalgar. The ensuing fierce battle resulted in 22 allied ships being lost, while the British lost none. |
| Reverse | |
|---|
The coin’s reverse shows in the foreground Admiral Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, behind this an old style pistol. In the background, which is coloured, part of the painting "The Battle of Trafalgar" by Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (1793 - 1867).
The Perth Mint's mint mark P is on the right. On the waves to the left of the ship, in small letters the designer's initials DB, for Darryl Bellotti.
Around below, the inscription BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 1805. |
|
Search for Cook Islands: Silver Ounce 2010 Battle of Trafalgar on eBay 
