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!
I think the smaug dragon would be cool in the series.
That is cool I need these coins for my wife she collects coins and dragons
Very Cool
Would love to see Norse Mythology (Jormungandr, Nidhogg, Fafnir)
LOVE this design!
Hawaiian shapeshifting Dragon for me.
Let’s get the luck of the dragon with these beauties! Thanks!
I love this set, I would like to see Kur might be cool to see what could be done with this dragon. I look forward to the rest of the set.
I think I would like to see the Leviathan from the Hebrew Bible, or the Jormungandr from the Norse Mythology. Although they are not winged, they are still considered dragons…
Viking and/or Norse mythology has several interesting dragons. The global popularity and representation in movies, books, games and shows makes these dragons a great choice for a collectable coin.
I’ve always liked smaug
I believe the Greek hydra or “Lernaean”, was one of the most powerful of all mythical dragons. In Greek mythology Heracles would fight the hydra, a serpent like dragon that lived in Lake Argolis, and cut off one head only to have two new heads grow in its place. Making the hydra a very magical and challenging opponent indeed.
I’ll try this once more, wish me luck!
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 AWESOME COINS !!!!!!!!
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 AWESOME COINS !!!!!!!!!
Super sweet coins.Love to win these.
Fagnir from Norse mythology surrounded by a wilted and dying forest.
The fire-breathing European would be a good change up.
Interesting coins for sure. The dragon has played a large part in the cultures and histories. It would be fun to own a couple of them.
I love the dragon
Nice design!
Fictional dragons would be cool, if you could avoid copyright issues.
Any Chinese dragon is great.
Has to be Ladon Dragon !!
Ladon dragon
The greatest of them all: Smaug
I like the ancient European dragons. They represent challenges in our lives and our battle to overcome them.
Love all the dragon series coins so far. Great job!
Ladon Greece dragon wrapped around tree guarding golden apples, Bakunawa Philippines dragon trying to eat the moon, Mo’o Hawaii shapeshifting dragon half woman
Nice piece