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!
Shenlong – The Spiritual Dragon
The dragon series is absolutely stunning. The details on the reverse of the coins is mesmerizing.
I would like to see bullion rounds featuring the blue-blooded parasitic reptilian overlords that control everything on this planet according to David Icke, or maybe the elemental fire salamanders…
If you do 3 different coins. Then a three claw, a four claw, and a five claw dragon would seem appropriate for the final series. 3claw is a black dragon, four claw is a red dragon and the five claw represents the emperor or gold dragon! These have been used for centuries in China as a distinct difference of martial styles and those of royalty.
Release a Slavic dragon round!
I recommend making a Slavic dragon. Slavic culture abounds with rich stories involving these dragons.
I’d be interested in seeing your take on Scandinavian, Greek and Egyptian dragons!
I love to see the intricate artwork of any dragon artist.. I just hope they pick one with a variety of textures..
Puff the Magic Dragon 😉
My choice – Fire Drake – maybe with a plume of fire being breathed from the dragons mouth.
Good Looking coin, the eye on the back is cool
the beast
Provident Metals has been an excellent supplier of my silver needs! Good response time, signature delivery and very nice packaging! I really liked the Provident Metals frig magnets, thanks! I’ve gotten two friends to buy the starter packs, they loved them! Thanks
These are some of the coolest rounds out there. I’d love to see a Japanese dragon round next!
This item looks great
Fire breathing dragon.
Not much else I would like to see, i think the Quetzatcoatl was one of the best!
I like the first three dragon designs and I am sure that whatever is chosen for the last three will be great too!
I would like to see something like a Firedrake from Norse mythology.
This is just a beautiful piece of designed silver I would love to win it for my grand daughter who loves dragons!
water dragon
LEE
Like Dragon coins
Nice design
Could really use this right about now financially! Lol…plus I love Chinese food and dragons remind me of Chinese food. Love you guys always.
Nate
Smaug
Celtic Dragon
Krak’s Dragon
Love Provident Metals! I’m not sure I understand the instructions about which designs may be chosen from, but the eye of the dragon above is beautiful.
This third in a series of six in the World of Dragons is phenomenal. The details on both the silver and copper one ounce rounds speak of the history of the Chinese Dragon as far back as 5,000 B.C. This nine animal representative speaks of benevolence of strength, good luck and mobility.
They should do Drogon from GOT
Very interesting article about this dragon it’s really cool to see things like this.