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!
“Silver Dragon” – A silver dragon enjoyed the company of humans and elves so much that it would often take the form of a human or elf and live among them for the majority of its life. However, it should be noted that silvers, like all dragons, believed themselves the most superior creatures in the world. However, apart from the ability to fly, which they enjoyed greatly, they tended to prefer the physical forms of humanoids for everyday life.
“Red dragon” Were covetous, evil creatures, interested only in their own well-being, vanity and the extension of their treasure hoards. They were supremely confident of their own abilities and were prone to making snap decisions without any forethought.
They were the most fearsome and cruel of the chromatic dragons, they breathed a cone of fire. These dragons delighted in ruin, death and destruction.
“Ice Dragon” are said to roam the Shivering Sea and the White Waste. Reportedly, they are far larger than the dragons of Valyria and are made of living ice, with eyes of pale blue crystal, vast translucent wings, and breath of cold. The first ice dragons came about during the Ice Age. They evolved from the water dragons but their bodies had to adapt to a cold environment; eventually, they began to produce unique adaptations such as sharp ridges and spikes of ice coating their body to protect from predators and a breath weapon of freezing air to turn foes to ice.
A 3 headed dragon, Pete’s dragon, and the Komoto Dragon…
Looks better than my ex-girtfriend
My daughter and I love dragons and the stories behind them. We find them fascinating and magical. This is the perfect series to make as an investment. In my family we don’t have any heirlooms that were passed down from past generations, so my daughter and I decided to start one of our own. We are collecting the dragon series as an heirloom for her to pass down to her children someday. She is only 9 years old now, but we have bonding time talking and looking at the coins and the Dragon history associated with each individual coin. I am so pleased with the coins that we have collected so far. We can’t wait for the next one.
Mushu, Dragonite, and Drogon!
Dragons will always be on top of the game. Fabulous coin, excellent detail.
i would like to see a Hydra !
These dragons are water serpents with multiple heads. Every time one is chopped off, another will grow back in its place. Sometimes, these dragons also have additional tails, wings, or arms.
Those are beautiful silver coins would love to have one for a keepsake to pass down and a great conversation piece !!!!!
The Drakon, Stoor Worm, Abrasax
I would love to see the Japanese “Ryu”, the Saxon “Wyvern” and being of Scandinavian decent a Norse dragon of sorts such as the fafnir or nidhogg. Great work Provident!
Japanese dragon
D&D style Platinum Dragon
An actual chinese dragon like in the first image in this article with the red background. So instead of a coin it would be an awesome 3D dragon sculpture. That would be amazing!
If that doesn’t work, then a river dragon would be cool.
The Japanese Water Dragon is a must
My son would really like to see a water dragon. Thanks
WHAT ABOUT TRIBUTE TO THE DRAGONS SIMILAR TO THE ONES IN THE SERIES GAME OF THRONES, THAT JUST ENDED. WOULD THAT REQUIRE LICENSE RIGHTS?
JUST A THOUGHT!
First – Smaug
Second – Falkor
Third – MUshu
Great innovation, I have been stuck on Silver Eagles and now have a new interest. Well odne !
The Dragon fron Shrek would be great to see. Daughter loves that dragon
Very cool round, enter me in!!!
Provident Metals, in the same vein as the “Four Horsemen” series continues with offering innovative designs and with outstanding value.
Love the Dragons of the World Series!
I would like to see these last 3 Dragons in the series as #4 A Hydra Dragon #5 A Weastern Dragon And #6 Celestial (eastern ) Dragon Colorized
Definitely Smaug, Eliot from Pete’s Dragon, and Wheezie from Dragon Tales!
Norse dragon
I would love to see Smaug, but not sure how the licensing for that would work. So how about a hydra?
How about a happy dragon?
The Drake Dragon, the Western Dragon, and the Sea Serpent Dragon.
The dragon series just gets better and better
Confidence is like a dragon where, for every head cut off, two more heads grow back.
Dragoons to dragons ; threads of australia to silk of china , Good luck is always on their wings
I would like to see an English dragon
I love my first one