Name/Title
CE 2005 — Cook Islands $10 Pope John Paul II Memorial Gold Proof — PCGS PR69 Deep CameoDescription
Cook Islands
10 Dollars — Pope John Paul II Memorial
2005
Gold (.999), Proof
Perth Mint
13.92 mm; 1.24 g
Actual gold weight: 0.0398 troy oz.
KM# 1178
Mintage: 25,000
PCGS PR69 Deep Cameo
PCGS Certification No. 03377337
Issued by the Cook Islands in 2005, this gold proof commemorates Pope John Paul II (1920–2005), who died on April 2 of that year after a pontificate of more than twenty-six years.
The commemorative side depicts John Paul II in profile, his head bowed beside a pastoral staff and a coffin bearing the letter M, a reference to the Virgin Mary and the pope’s Marian devotion. The inscription JOANNES PAULUS II / 1920 / 2005 gives his papal name in Latin and the years of his birth and death. The design is attributed to Irio Ottavio Fantini.
The obverse bears Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, then head of state of the Cook Islands, surrounded by ELIZABETH II / 10 DOLLARS / COOK ISLANDS, with the date 2005 below. Although denominated at 10 Cook Islands dollars, the coin is a non-circulating commemorative issue produced for collectors rather than ordinary monetary circulation.
The coin is unusually small for a modern gold commemorative, measuring only 13.92 mm in diameter and weighing 1.24 g. It is struck in .999 fine gold and contains approximately 0.0398 troy ounce of gold, roughly equivalent to 1/25 troy ounce. The reported mintage is 25,000 pieces.
This example has been certified by PCGS as PR69 Deep Cameo. PR69 denotes a proof coin that is essentially fully struck and visually pristine but has a minor imperfection preventing the maximum PR70 grade. “Deep Cameo” describes the strong contrast between the frosted design elements and highly reflective proof fields visible in the auction photographs.
Provenance: Heritage Auctions, World & Ancient Coins Select Auction, September 3, 2026; realized $183 including buyer’s premium, according to the supplied auction record.Create Date
September 6, 2026Update Date
September 6, 2026
