The Royal Mint’s Shēngxiào Lunar series of proof coins roars on with the launch of the 2024 dragon range in gold and silver

Now on its eleventh release, at least in proof form, the Royal Mint’s Shēngxiào Lunar range gets its first mythical entrant, the 2024 Dragon. A very traditional looking design by William Webb adorns the reverse face, complete with a small area of forest at the bottom, and the Chinese character for the dragon.

A good-looking coin, in our view, if not an adventurous one, it’s one of the nicer traditionally-styled coins for the lunar dragon so far. The days of the odd artistic style applied to early issues in this series are long over, and while we always champion originality here, they did begin to get a little challenging before the change in style.

Quite a big range, as always, with silver coins coming in at the 1oz, 5oz, and 1kg weights. Even the smallest of those are now over £100, however. Gold comes in four sizes, adding a quarter-ounce variant to the same three silver formats. All are presented in themed packaging with a Certificate of Authenticity. A base-metal brilliant-uncirculated version is offered to the casual collector. Available now.

PRESS RELEASE

In 2024, Chinese New Year – the Year of the Dragon, starts on 10 February. A joyful time that is marked by communities all over the world, friends and family will gather to enjoy traditional food, watch firework displays and gift children money in red envelopes. Each year is characterised by one of 12 zodiac animals, and 2024 sees the dragon in the ascendancy. Wise and powerful, the dragon is China’s most important cultural symbol and has come to represent confidence, courage and adventurousness. People born under its zodiac sign are said to possess these traits.

The eleventh release in The Shēngxiào Collection – our series celebrating the lunar calendar – is the Year of the Dragon 2024 UK Coin, which is available in a range of limited-edition gold and silver Proof editions, as well as a Brilliant Uncirculated edition. Featuring a design by the artist William Webb that captures the dragon’s characteristic qualities, the result is a beautiful fusion of British and Chinese culture.