The Perth Mint has a fine history of releasing coins celebrating Asian culture, not just through its ultra-iconic Lunar Series of bullion coins, but through a wide range of coins covering an equally wide range of styles and formats. One of the most popular is the high-relief antique-finished selection, available in a range of sizes. Their latest, done in conjunction with Coins Australia, is a five-ounce offering, joining 2023’s Phoenix & Birds, Dragon, Double Dragon & Tiger, and more. To my regret, we haven’t covered many of them, so expect a Coin Series Profile in the next couple of months.

This new release is called ‘Dragon & Phoenix’, combining two mythical creatures of immense importance in South Asian cultures. The serpentine Chinese dragon is well known in numismatic circles, a symbol of power and wealth, and the Phoenix is no stranger, the legendary bird symbolising rebirth and harmony. Indeed, the pairing of them is a strong one in Chinese mythology.

The whole of this range is pretty, but even so, we think this is a particularly attractive coin, even in a genre filled with them. The flowing dragon and the opposing phoenix are quite exquisitely coloured, without heading into being gaudy. The pair circle a flaming pearl, another iconic element in this mythology. It’s all set against an antique-finished background. The obverse is also antiqued, a style the mint has been using for a decade, since it became super-popular with the Gods of Olympus series.

The coin comes in one of those black snapper boxes, with a Certificate of Authenticity, all within a neatly themed shipper box. Just 388 of these will be struck, and Coins Australia have those with certificate numbers from #1 to #38 for sale if that’s your thing. We can imagine #8 being particularly sought after. Available to order now, this is a beautiful coin.