Lunar Series III – Dragon
This is another fantastic bullion coin released in 2024 by Perth Mint to celebrate its 125th Anniversary.
The classic theme of the Dragon is again embraced in this delightful design.
It is the last coin to feature Queen Elizabeth II with all future coins having King Charles III.
The 3rd Lunar Series from Perth Mint Australia started in 2020 with the mouse motif and will continue in 2024 with the dragon.
The series consists of 12 motifs (12 years) based on the Chinese lunar calendar. These are the following motifs:
Mouse (2020), Ox (2021), Tiger (2022), Rabbit (2023), Dragon (2024), Snake (2025), Horse (2026), Goat (2027), Monkey (2028), Rooster (2029), Dog (2030), Pig (2021)
This is the 1 oz fine silver edition in brilliant uncirculated condition for the Year of the Dragon 2024 from the Lunar III series. The coins are individually encapsulated.
As bullion coins they do not have a certificate or box.
Design
2024 Australian Dragon Lunar Series III – 1oz Silver Bullion Coin
Mint: Perth Mint
Silver Content (Troy oz) 1
Denomination (AUD) 1
Fineness: 99.9% silver
Minimum Gross Weight: 31.135 grams
Maximum Diameter: 40.60 mm
Maximum Thickness: 3.5 mm
Maximum Mintage: 300,000
Designer: Ing Ing Jong
The obverse bears the Jody Clark Memorial Obverse of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II supplemented with the dates of her reign ‘1952-2022’, as well as the coin’s weight, purity, and monetary denomination.
The coin’s reverse portrays a Chinese mythical dragon with stylised waves and fog – allusions to its control of the elements. Included in the design is the Chinese character for ‘dragon’, the inscription ‘DRAGON 2024’, and a ‘P125’ mintmark signifying The Perth Mint’s 125th anniversary.
History
The dragon (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍; pinyin: lóng; Jyutping: lung; Cantonese Yale: lùhng) is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dragon is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 辰 (pinyin: chén).
It has been proposed that the Earthly Branch character may have been associated with scorpions; it may have symbolized the star Antares. In the Buddhist calendar used in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, the dragon is replaced by the nāga. In the Gurung zodiac, the dragon is replaced by the eagle. In the Old Turkic calendar it is replaced by a fish or crocodile. Early Persian translations of the medieval period change the dragon to a sea serpent, although in current times it is generally referred to as whale.
During China’s Cultural Revolution, there was an attempt to replace the dragon with the giant panda; however, the movement was short lived.
*All information taken from Wikipedia for educational purposes only.
