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!
The great red dragon in Revelation
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads
I would like to see an image of Tianlong the Chinese celestial dragon that guards the gates to heaven. I think that the story would resonate with alot of people who don’t know about it and would interest those who do.
I hope one of the releases will be Beowulf’s Fire Drake!
Beautiful coins would love to win them
Some kind of a water based dragon……
yes, one of each of the 4 elements, water or ice dragon.
Any of them!
Chuvash dragon I think would make a great choice. They are a shape shifting dragons. The Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Todays modern Russia. There language is the only survivng one out of the other oghur branch of Turkic language.
I like the drake type of dragon. That’s what I would like to see on the new coin!
How about Japanese or Gypsy? Really enjoy your designs..
All the dragons are symbolic of honor, bravery, courage but I am fond of the Chinese Imperial Dragon works.
I love collecting precious metal, one day I plan on passing on to my daughter. But for now we enjoy hunting for lost silver in our pocket change.
I’d like to see a fantasy dragon coin showing Smaug from The Hobbit book.
These are an exciting way to invest in silver.
Incredible Round
Exciting dragon giveaway
Provident Metals: Thanks for the opportunity
Type of dragon – All interesting, protecting dragons are at the top of my list
I’m loving this giveaway! Thanks
Cool story! I want the Silver!!! Eragon would make a great coin!
Great looking coins!
I like the Welsh Dragon design but IF it were painted it would be an AWESOME coin so talk to the makers to see if I might one day be able to purchase a painted set ?
Puff the Magic Dragon!
I just like dragons.
Dragon Slayer75
Love doing business with Provident !!!!!
I hope I win
nice
Hydra, Wyvern, Leviathan
A melange of NINE dragons!
I would like to see a Sea Serpent featured in your dragon series
I want to see a hydra, a dragon from india and a japanese dragon.
A FIRE DRAKE OR A HYDRA OR A COCKATRICE
Would live to win this!
Puff, Drogon, & Grendel