The bonito, a fast ocean fish of the mackerel family, arrived on the Cook Islands 50 cents in 1972 — the very year the islands first received coins of their own. This first-year half dollar shows Sarda australis, the Australian bonito, and the initials JB beside the denomination identify the artist, George James Berry.

The first series was conceived as a portrait of the archipelago. The coins matched New Zealand specifications, yet each carried its own island subject: a taro leaf, pineapples, a hibiscus, an orange, a fairy tern, the sea god Tangaroa on the dollar and the bonito on the 50 cents.

The obverse bears Arnold Machin’s portrait of Elizabeth II. The edge is unusual: five reeded sections alternate with five plain ones. In 1972, 31,000 pieces were struck for circulation and another 17,000 in proof. The type was minted until 1983 and lost legal tender status in 2016, when the islands replaced their coinage.

AU-UNC sits between About Uncirculated and Uncirculated: any wear is barely visible on the highest points of the design, and mint lustre is almost fully preserved. For a date run of Cook Islands half dollars this is the natural starting point — the year the local coinage began.

The VPcoins catalogue includes both modern commemorative issues and coins of past eras.