| Coin | Silver Five Ounces 2019 Chinese Mythical Creatures - Dragon and Phoenix |
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The Tuvaluan Dollar is the currency of Tuvalu - a small nation in the Pacific Ocean. Tuvalu has never had banknotes of its own, and has been issuing coins since 1976; these circulate together with coins of the Australian Dollar, which is also legal tender in the country, and to which the Tuvaluan Dollar is pegged.
The Australian Perth Mint issues a large variety of non-circulating legal tender coins under the authority of Tuvalu, including in the very large five troy ounces of gold format (abbreviated as 5 oz). These are not bullion as they are priced at a premium and are targeted at collectors who appreciate them for their artistic merit and collectable value and not just for their precious metal content.
This coin is part of a series dedicated to Chinese Mythical Creatures, and features a Dragon and a Phoenix.
The mint says about it:
In feng shui, the dragon and the phoenix are regarded as perfect matches for one another. While both are considered to be omens of good fortune, the graceful phoenix represents "yin" and the powerful dragon "yang" in the traditional Chinese philosophical account of natural balance and interdependence. |
| Mint | Perth Mint |
Mint Mark | No mint mark |
Total Mintage |
388
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse of the coin shows the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). The Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary (Her Majesty's grandmother) in 1947 - which she also has on the Machin and the Gottwald portraits.
In small letters below the head, the artist's initials IRB (for Ian Rank-Broadley).
Around the effigy is the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the value: QUEEN ELIZABETH II 5oz 9999 SILVER 2019 TUVALU 5 DOLLARS.
The inscription around the rim also incorporates the precious metal content: five troy ounces of 99.99% silver. |
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse of the coin depicts a phoenix and a Chinese dragon, coiled around a central "bagua" symbol with a yin yang symbol in the middle, with a stylised representation of clouds and mist in the background. The bagua is a motif incorporating Taoist trigrams, or symbols comprising three lines. Each trigram represents one of eight fundamental elements or concepts: heaven / sky, lake, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain or earth. Within these is the yin yang symbol denoting universal balance.
Below left, at the base of the bird's tail, the designer's initials IJ, for Ing Ing Jong. There is no inscription and no mint mark.
The design is "rimless" - extends to the edge of the coin without a surrounding rim. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
(none) |
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| Edge | Plain | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Silver content (Troy oz): 5.000
Finish: antiqued.
Packaging: in classic black display case and illustrated shipper, with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. |
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| See also |
Coins in the Chinese Myths and Legends series issued for Tuvalu include:
- 5 oz Silver Coloured, Dragons of Legend - Chinese Dragon, 2012
- 5 oz Silver Coloured, Chinese Mythical Creatures, 2014
- 5 oz Silver, Chinese Mythical Creatures, 2015
- 5 oz Silver Coloured, The Dragon and His Nine Sons, 2015
- 5 oz Silver, The Dragon and His Nine Sons, 2016
- 5 oz Silver Coloured, Koi Fish Jumps the Dragon Gate, 2016
- 2 oz Silver Antique, Chinese Mythical Creatures, 2016
- 1 oz Silver, Chinese Mythical Creatures, 2016
- 2 oz Silver Antique, Dragon, 2017
- 5 oz Silver Antique, Dragon, 2018
- 2 oz Silver Antique, Phoenix, 2018
- 2 oz Silver Antique, Qi Lin and Unicorn, 2018
- 5 oz Silver Antique, Twelve Lunar Animals, 2019
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Dragon, 2019
- 5 oz Silver Antique, Dragon and Phoenix, 2019
- 2 oz Silver Antique, Double Dragon, 2019
- 2 oz Silver Antique, Dragon and Phoenix, 2019
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Guan Yu, 2020
- 2 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Dragon, 2020
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Fu, Lu and Shou, 2021
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Chinese Mythical Creatures, 2021
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Zhao Yun, 2021
- 2 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Double Dragon and Yin Yang Koi, 2021
- 2 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Double Dragon and Double Phoenix, 2021
- 2 oz Silver Antique, Dragon and Tiger, 2021
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Twelve Lunar Animals, 2022
- 2 oz Silver Antique Coloured, White Tiger, 2022
- 2 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Dragon, 2022
- 2 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Dragon and Qilin, 2022
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Twelve Lunar Animals, 2023
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Fu, Lu and Shou, 2023
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Double Dragon and Double Tiger, 2023
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Phoenix and Birds, 2023
- 5 oz Silver Coloured, Yin Yang Koi, 2024
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Dragon and the Five Elements, 2024
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Dragon and Phoenix, 2024
- 5 oz Silver Antique Coloured, Five Auspicious Creatures, 2024
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