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!
Excellent detail! Would be a great addition to my collection.
world of Dragons please
Really enjoyed the dragon story!
Nice coin looks like a good collection coin.
What an awesome minting…. looks amazing
German, Greek, and English! You guys are awesome BTW!
I love all dragons so any would do for me.
Looks good.
I think its a good coin to buy recommend it
Amazing coin, looking forward to getting one!!!
I love that the Chinese dragon looks like Shen Long from Dragon Ball.
If I had to pick one dragon for the next set it would have to be Trogdor: The Burninator.
Id love to a skeletal dragon done. So many stories are told of reanimated remains of the great dragon.
I’d like to Celtic Dragons, followed by Vritra, (The God of Dragons) and finally Babylonian dragons…talk about beat sellers! Those would fly off the shelf!! (Get it?!)
Awsome add!
The sea-wyvern wold be a nice addition to the series
Nice
If I were to choose the next 3 dragons in the series these are the 3 I would choose.
Since this is WORLD of Dragons, I would choose Vritra from India, a serpent like dragon embodied in the Vedic texts, we need to have something from Greek folklore like a Hydra or sea serpent, and finally something from the Middle East/Africa in the Akhekh from Egyptian folklore and tales.
This way we can satisfy all the dragons of the world from the various continents of the world. The Chinese dragon satisfies Asia, The Aztec for meso-america, Welsh for Europe, The Akhekh would cover Africa, the Hydra/Sea Serpent would cover the oceans/islands, and Vritra from India would cover part of the middle east/south east asia.
This entry actually caused me do do some research; however, it was actually a lot of fun studying peoples creativity. The three that I would like to see are:
1. The fire dragon
2. Draconika
3. Saphera
I am looking forward to getting the last three in the series.
I like the English type dragons personally
Awesome place to purchase silver
I like the oriental dragons.
Akhekh Dragon from Egypt,
Python Dragon from Greece
Stoor Worm Dragon from Scotland
These are the three i would love to see for the final three releases.
Would like to see an ice dragon
I would like to see the Welsh dragon. I think this design is a very cool, so much detail.
Tiamat the great dragon of Babylon, would be great on a coin!
I would like to see the Slavic dragon on a coin.
Very nice write up and a great series of coins
I would like to see a Fantasy dragon
These are lovely I would be proud to own one/
I would like to see a Norse Dragons. The Norse used to use dragons to strike fear in their enemies and also to guild them on their long trips across the oceans. They were some of the greatest sea people and managed to live in some of the harshest and inhospitable places.