Another new silver bullion coin from the Perth Mint in a year full of new and interesting designs. Despite seemingly having their hands full with multiple ranges, Perth likes to dabble in limited runs of unique designs, and with a 50,000 mintage and no history, this is certainly a classic example.

Positioned around the flaming pearl, the design is inspired by the Asian tales of the Dragon, usually male, and the Phoenix. The Dragon represents Yang and the Phoenix Yin, core concepts in Feng Shui. Already amongst the most powerful symbols in Chinese culture, the two are said to strengthen each other when paired.

The design is nice and different, a refreshing departure from the usual mix of modern symbolism and animals. The coin is struck in 0.9999 silver and at 40.6mm, is the standard size of the rest of the Perth Mint silver bullion range, excluding the generally larger Lunar range ironically. The obverse has the usual Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II upon it. There’s only a one-ounce version at present and no gold. While we don’t expect them, it hasn’t been specifically ruled out in any information we’ve seen.

Available to order now from Perth Mint Bullion or from Ainslie Bullion, we don’t doubt that this one will spread to other dealers quite rapidly. Expect premiums to be higher than average – no more than can be expected given the limited mintage and semi-numismatic status. The Perth Mint is selling them at around spot plus 30% when 600 are ordered.