Almost every culture on earth has its own ancient dragon myth. And we are proud to bring them to life in our EXCLUSIVE World of Dragons series of 1 oz silver and copper rounds! The third release in this exciting 6-design series celebrates The Chinese dragon, one of the oldest and most powerful symbols in Chinese history.
No one knows for sure when dragons were first introduced to Chinese culture, but they’ve appeared as far back as 5,000 BC. The figure of the Chinese dragon is thought to be a combination of several ancient Chinese tribal totems, incorporating elements of the sacred number nine. For example, the beast is said to possess nine animal resemblances: the antlers of a stag, the head of a crocodile, the eyes of a demon, the neck of a snake, the belly of a tortoise, the scales of a fish, the palms of a tiger, the ears of a cow, and the claws of an eagle.
Unlike its fearsome, fire-breathing European cousins, the Chinese dragon is a benevolent symbol of strength, good luck, and nobility. To the ancients, it was a water and weather god that could form clouds, hide in deep waters, expand to the size of the universe, or even glow in the dark.
Dragons were a powerful symbol of the emperor in many Chinese dynasties. According to legend, the imperial forefathers were born of dragons. The imperial throne was referred to as the Dragon Throne. And dragons were a prominent feature in imperial palaces and tombs, such as at the Forbidden City in Beijing.
As “descendants of the dragon”, the number nine was also the sacred number of the emperors. Only the emperor and most senior officials were allowed to wear nine dragons on their robes. During the 17th-century Qing dynasty, the dragon was adopted as the national flag. Since that time, it has gone on to serve as the official emblem of the modern Peoples Republic of China.
Depictions of Chinese dragons often show them chasing or fighting over a flaming pearl. The pearl symbolizes wisdom, prosperity, and immortality, which always lies just beyond the dragon’s reach. The Dragon is one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, and Dragon years are usually the most popular to have children. In fact, even today, there are still more people born in Dragon years than in any other animal years of the zodiac.
The limited edition Chinese Dragon design is the third in a series of 1 oz silver and copper rounds celebrating the dragons of the world. The obverse features the creature’s serpentine form in mid-pounce as it finally grasps the long-pursued pearl of prosperity. The reverse depicts the powerful reptilian eye of the dragon. Its piercing gaze is surrounded by the inscriptions “World of Dragons” along with the metal content, weight, and purity.
Which brings us to…. our June giveaway! Which dragons would you like to see for the final 3 releases in the series? Let us know in the comments! We’ll randomly choose one comment on June 30th to win a FREE 1 oz The Chinese Silver Round and a 1 oz The Chinese Copper Round from our exclusive World of Dragons series! Good luck!
Note: The final mintage of The Chinese will be announced in August 2019. Get yours while you can, because when they’re gone, they’re gone! World of Dragons rounds are released every three months. Each design will only be minted for approximately three months. The fourth release in the series will be available for sale on August 1, 2019. Click the “notify me” button under each design to receive an email for all future releases, so you can be among the first to own each Dragons of the World design!
Interesting that this is the first of the World of Dragon series not to label the name of the dragon on the coin. The Welsh and The Aztec both have their perspective names engraved on the front of their coins, The Chinese does not.
Norse dragons would be good
Norse dragons
I have purchased a lot of coins from you and you have made good on all of them and done what you promised.
I love the design.
Hungarian Horntail
Swedish Shortsnout
Norwegian Ridgeback
From the Harry Potter stories.
Love the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Favorite would be Ruth (white Dragon.) Also would enjoy Norse style Dragon.
The eye creeps me out
Mushu from Mulan because he is a cute little guy, the name is fun to say, and because mu shu pork is delicious. 🙂
Nice
I am very pleased with the Dragon education that Provident Metals and it’s clients have been introducing to me. Could not ask for better. Same goes for the Dragon coins you have designed. Keep it up!
Trogdor the Burninator (HomestarRunner)
Use the Russian dragon for the third coin. The zmei has three heads and is not common knowledge. This dragon would make a striking addition to the coin set.
I love collecting silver bullion coins and I really love all dragons. I’d love to buy a 5 oz version of each but alas, there is no such thing. 🙁
My choice is the Welsh dragon
A Pretty Chinese Dragon!
1. Shen- Lung Dragon
2. Yinglong Dragon
3.St. George’s Dragon
I really like the 6th-9th dragons on the Nine Dragon Wall in Beihai Park, Beijing
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Nine_Dragon_Wall_in_Beihai_Park.JPG
Love the series. Throwing out Smaug or the one from reign of fire.
Bought this set. I was truly suppressed how well made they are. Keep up the good work and keeping prices reasonable.
Tibet Dragon
I trying to buy Yugioh coins. It is a cartoon series dated back 1999. I watch it. Then I watch it with my step son. Then I watch it with my daughter. I try to buy coin but came up with little luck. They have plenty of dragons in the show. With the characters and monsters which a lot of dragons you make a series out of it. I think there will a lot of interest it them too. The top ten dragons are Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode, Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon, Supreme King Z-ARC, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Ladon Greece dragon, Bakunawa Philippines dragon and the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon with moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon trying to eat the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon trying to eat the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon half woman
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon trying to eat the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon half beautiful woman
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon trying to eat the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon half beautiful woman half water dragon
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon trying to eat the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon half beautiful woman half water dragon Firedrake Germany
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon trying to eat the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon half beautiful woman half water dragon Firedrake Germany guarding a box of treasure