Gold Ounce 2021 Modern Chinese Trade Dollar, Coin from Saint Helena - detailed information

Saint Helena is a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean which is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The currency of the island is the Saint Helena pound, fixed at parity with the pound sterling. The island has authorised some private mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including in the popular gold ounce (1 oz gold) format, denominated as £5.

The 2021 1 oz St Helena Modern Chinese Trade Dollar Gold Coin is part of a range dedicated to "trade dollars" and is an artist's impression of what a modern Chinese trade dollar would look like.

The Mint says about this coin:
In 1911, during the dying embers of Empire, the last Chinese Dragon Trade Dollar was struck. Now, 110 years later, this "Modern" Chinese Trade Dollar features a bold new design of a traditional mighty dragon wrapped around the globe, in tribute to the role the original coin played in Chinese trade and economic growth. Elegant and enigmatic, the dragon’s slender form moves across the coin with fluidity and grace. The globe is represented as simple grid lines with the Chinese nation standing proudly upon it, emblazoned with the stars from the Chinese flag.

Trade Dollars were first introduced in the 15th Century, when the "Spanish Dollar" was used as a standardised currency to facilitate international trade. By the late 19th Century, Chinese trade was growing both regionally and with the West. Western nations, and China’s neighbours, required a currency to simplify the buying and selling of goods. At the same time, reforms within Chinese life were underway, many of them led by a strong female figure; the Empress Dowager, Cixi. Cixi was intent on reforming and modernising China’s culture and economy. Her ability to read was a rare skill for a woman of her times and it enabled her to learn and understand affairs of state, both domestic and international. To help China trade more efficiently with its neighbours and the wider world she ordered the formation of a Western-style customs service and reorganised China’s standards of weights and measures, initiatives which paved the way for the creation of the Dragon Trade Dollar in 1889.