5 oz Silver Chinese Mythical Creatures Dragon & Phoenix 2019 (Mintage: 388 | Antique Finish)
- Perth Mint: world-famous mint
- High relief: Yin and Yang in the Bagua
- Certificate: individually numbered
- Perth MintStruck by the renowned mint in Australia
- High reliefSculpted scales and feathers full of symbolic power
- CertificateComes in original case with numbered certificate of authenticity
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5 ounces fine silver
It breathes no fire. It brings the rain.
Dragon and Phoenix 2019, side with the dragon
A dragon and a phoenix surround the sign of yin and yang with the eight trigrams.
From the water into the clouds
It lives in the water and rises into the clouds.
Dragons have appeared in Chinese art since Neolithic times. No later than the Han dynasty, from 206 BC to AD 220, they were regarded as beings of water: they live in rivers and seas, fly up into the clouds, govern the weather and bring the life-giving rain.
This is how old books tell it: the dragon’s breath becomes clouds, and the clouds become rain or lightning. In winter it sleeps beneath rivers and ponds, in the first month of spring it rises, and then it thunders, and rain falls.
In China it stands for the beneficence of heaven. The dragons of Europe are mostly winged and breathe fire, while in East Asia the dragon is regarded as a benevolent being, usually without any wings.
“Above all things the dragon in China is a rain-maker.”
A dragon made of many animals
The antlers of the stag, the scales of the carp.
According to old tradition, the dragon is made up of parts of many animals: the antlers of the stag, the scales of the carp, the claws of the eagle and the body of the snake. Learned Chinese books also name whiskers at the mouth and a luminous pearl beneath the chin.
The magnifying glass reveals how finely the design is struck here.
Yin and yangYin and yang with the eight trigrams
PhoenixThe phoenix
HeadThe head of the dragon
Enlarged from the pictures in our gallery.
The legend of the Dragon Gate
The carp, which becomes a dragon.
A legend tells of the Yellow River: a carp that swims upstream through the Dragon Gate becomes a dragon.
In China the image stood for passing the civil service examination. On a Yuan dynasty inkstone in the Metropolitan Museum, the grinding surface and the ink well lie between carp and dragon; their diligent use might well decide success.
The phoenix
Dragon and phoenix, emperor and empress.
On a porcelain plate of the Wanli period in the Metropolitan Museum, the five-clawed dragon is the emblem of the emperor. At its side appears the phoenix, which often stands for the empress.
On a wedding robe from the 1930s in the Victoria and Albert Museum, too, dragon and phoenix form the basic pattern, as the male and female elements of marriage. By tradition, the bride was “empress of the day.”
More companions of the dragon
The tigerThe dragon stands for the east, the white tiger for the west.
The pearlIn art, the dragon often chases a pearl, a symbol of wisdom.
The five elementsEarth, wood, metal, fire and water follow one another in a cycle.
The qilinWith the dragon, phoenix and tortoise, one of the four spiritual beings.
The emblem of the emperor
From the waves at the hem to the pearl.
An imperial robe of yellow silk from the Qianlong period, shown at the Palace Museum in Beijing in 2019, follows the usual arrangement from bottom to top: water lines form the waves of the ocean, from them rises Mount Kunlun, and at chest height the five-clawed dragon chases the flaming pearl.
The claws mattered: the five-clawed dragon, long, was distinguished from the four-clawed one, mang, which stood for lower ranks.
“Only the emperor and empress were allowed to wear bright yellow.”
The craft
What sets this piece apart.
- Antique finish
- The surface is toned dark, only the raised areas shine bright. This makes the relief stand out with real depth.
Our dragons to scale
Dainty in gold, mighty in silver.
From 1/200 ounce of gold to 5 ounces of silver, side by side to the scale of their dimensions. The piece on this page is marked.
Whatever is available links to its product.
1/200 ounceGold, 14 mmGold14 mm- 1 ounceGold, 32.6 mmGold32.6 mm
1 ounceSilver, 40 mmSilver40 mm
2 ouncesGold, 36.6 mmGold36.6 mm
2 ouncesSilver, 50 mmSilver50 mm
3 ouncesSilver, 50 mmSilver50 mm
5 ouncesSilver, 55.5 mmSilver55.5 mm
At a glance
- Type
- Coin
- Metal
- Silver
- Design
- Dragon and phoenix around yin and yang
- Weight
- 5 ounces fine silver
- Fineness
- 999.9/1,000
- Face value
- 5 Dollars
- Country of issue
- Tuvalu
- Diameter
- 55.5 mm
- Year
- 2019
- Quality
- Antique finish
- Mintage
- 388 pieces
- Manufacturer
- Perth Mint
- Packaging
- Case
A coiled dragon of jade, made in the Shang dynasty, in the 13th or 12th century BC.
Pendant in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
5 oz Silver Dragon & Phoenix 2019 – Antique Finish Rarity Limited to Just 388 Pieces
- Strictly limited: extremely low mintage of only 388 pieces worldwide
- Growth potential: high appreciation potential thanks to the strict limitation and strong collector demand
- True rarity: rare, sought-after collector's coin in sculpted high relief with an elegant antique finish
- Design: dragon and phoenix encircling a Yin-Yang symbol within the Bagua – a symbol of harmony, luck, and Feng Shui
- Mint: struck by the world-renowned Perth Mint in Australia
- Country of origin: Tuvalu, with a face value of 5 dollars
Some issues are made for collectors' hands right from the start. The collector's coin "Chinese Mythical Creatures – Dragon & Phoenix" is exactly one of those. It was struck by the renowned Perth Mint from five ounces of fine silver and comes in an elaborate antique finish, which gives each coin a slightly aged, antique character. The result is a rarity that is unlikely to appear in this form a second time: the worldwide mintage of just 388 pieces makes it one of the most coveted pieces in its series.
A Design Full of Symbolic Power: Dragon and Phoenix
The design of this 5-ounce coin tells a story thousands of years old. At its center is the Yin-Yang symbol, framed by the eight trigrams of the Bagua. Around it coil two of the most powerful mythical creatures of Chinese mythology: the powerful dragon and the graceful phoenix. In Feng Shui, both are considered the perfect pair. The dragon embodies "Yang," the active, masculine force – the phoenix represents "Yin," the gentle and balancing force. Together they symbolize harmony, prosperity, wealth, and marital happiness. The fine detail in the scales, feathers, and cloud motifs is particularly impressive thanks to the sculpted high relief and the dark-accented surface.
The coin is designed without a rim, allowing the design to extend all the way to the edge without any disruptive border – a stylistic device that further emphasizes the powerful impact of this 155.5-gram silver disc. The value side features the classic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the year of issue 2019, fineness, and the denomination of the issuing country, Tuvalu.
Technical Specifications at a Glance
- Material: 999.9/1,000 fine silver (5 oz / 155.5 g gross weight)
- Diameter: 55.50 mm, rimless design
- Quality: antique finish (antiqued)
- Year of issue: 2019 | Face value: 5 dollars Tuvalu
- Series: Chinese Mythical Creatures / Mythical Creatures
- Mintage: strictly limited to 388 pieces
- Delivery: original case with numbered certificate of authenticity
Why This Rarity Belongs in Every Collection
Anyone who collects high-quality silver coins knows: it is the combination of design, craftsmanship, and rarity that makes a piece truly special. Here, all three factors come together. A limitation of just 388 coins is exceptionally low even in the premium segment – many popular bullion coins are issued in mintages of several tens of thousands. It is precisely this pronounced scarcity that gives the coin its considerable appreciation potential, since supply is inherently limited while demand for artfully crafted antique-finish coins has been growing for years.
Dragon and phoenix unite strength and grace – a design that has stood for harmony and luck in Chinese culture for thousands of years and appears timeless in 999.9/1,000 fine silver.
Compared to the later, partly colorized re-editions of the same series, the original 2019 issue impresses with its purist, monochrome antique look, which puts the Perth Mint's relief work front and center. As befits a true premium coin, it is delivered in a classic original case with a numbered certificate – ideal as a centerpiece for a themed collection of Chinese mythical creatures or as an extraordinary gift. Secure one of the few remaining examples of this special collector's coin while it is still available.
Product depiction may differ from the final product.
