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.
Collector coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to the country itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes, including the large two ounces of silver format - such as this coin.
The Mint says about this coin: Nautical themed coins are no standard fare at CIT. Game changers like the 2016 Great Tea Race and 2017 Pirate Skull set the bar high. The Anchor, officially introduced at the Berlin World Money Fair, certainly delivers in this regard. Struck from two ounces of fine silver, the background has a black proof finish from which the polished silver anchor protrudes in an incredible blend of smartminting high relief and finest quality lustrous silver gleaming along the stark ridges as the light moves across the surface of the coin.
The coin symbolises the romantic era of discovery and our dependency on good weather and helplessness against the elements. Hopes and fears that James Cook himself would have undoubtedly experienced when first sailing the South Seas. |