Perth Mint launches The Dragon – its first Australian rectangular bullion coins

In a break from their usual style, the Perth Mint is today releasing a new rectangular bullion coin depicting a stylised Chinese Dragon with a flaming pearl. A motif that has featured increasingly more in the last couple of years, the transition to a rectangular format is a surprise, but welcome enough. This is a limited run release and available in just the one ounce format, albeit in a choice of 0.9999 gold or 0.9999 silver. Mintages are capped at 25,000 in gold and 500,000 in silver. Designed by Perth Mint regular Ing Ing Jong, the silver will be sold in tubes of 20 or boxes of 200, and the gold individually, although you should have no problem getting a single silver coin as you’d expect. Premiums aren’t excessive, but popularity may soon see that put to the sword. Very nice release and we’d suspect a popular one.

MINTS DESCRIPTION: The Perth Mint is excited to release this 1oz bullion coin, featuring a Chinese dragon in a unique rectangular format. In Chinese culture, the dragon is revered as a divine mythical creature, a symbol of power, strength, wealth, and good fortune, and it is often portrayed alongside a luminous or flaming pearl. Dragons are also believed to be the rulers of water and weather.

DESIGN: The coin’s reverse depicts a stylised Chinese dragon chasing a flaming pearl, with wind, clouds and water in the background. The design also includes The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark. The Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, 2018 year-date and the weight and fineness are depicted on the coin’s obverse.