We’ve always believed that modern coins work superbly well when they draw inspiration from the coins of the past, and there are many examples of that in the bullion market. Old bullion and trading coins are snapshots of the period they were issued in, from way back in ancient times, when the person in charge had their effigy struck into the coins, to the 20th century, when cultural icons became more prevalent.  The Asian Trade Dollars of the late 19th/early 20th centuries are a fine example of the latter.

Starting in 2018, Hong-Kong based LPM started to release an eight coin range of Chinese Dragon-themed Trade Dollars that were reproductions of the originals, which were beginning to rise heavily in value at various auctions. These very pretty coins were available in 1 oz gold and 1 oz silver variants, followed soon after by antiqued silver versions (the one here is the eighth and last). Joining the range later came a limited run of one-kilo versions, of which four of the eight are now available.

The interesting coin in this release is the debut of a high-relief version. An ounce of fine silver in weight, with high-relief on both faces, it’s an attractive item, clearly enhanced with the more defined detail present. In other respects it’s the same as the other versions, but it’s different enough to warrant another look. Just 888 of these will be struck, and it’s the first in a new series, so expect to see the other seven get the same treatment over the next couple of years. If you want to see more on this series, check out our full Bullion Profile of the range.