The Story Behind The Year Of The Dragon Silver Coin


By Marissa Velazquez


The last Year of the Dragon began on January 23, 2012 and ended on February 9, 2013. More than one Year of the Dragon silver coin was minted in commemoration of the occasion. This particular segment of the Chinese zodiac is said to be special. People born under this sign in countries that use it are said to be lucky and to have desirable characteristics. The birth rate in these countries undergoes an increase during these years.

The animals of the Chinese zodiac are broken down into water, earth, fire and air. The year 2012 was the year of the water dragon. Some researchers believe that this element is actually a scorpion and at one time represented the star Antares. Antares is a red supergiant star in the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Chinese calendar is embraced in countries in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and China. While the western zodiac uses constellations, the Chinese calendar is based on animals. Also, while the Chinese animals cycle once every dozen years, the western constituents cycle every one dozen months.

Like any sign of any zodiac, each sign is associated with both positive and negative traits. On the plus side, dragons are confident, dignified, passionate, gallant, vigorous, dignified, noble and generous. On the slightly not-so-positive side, they may also be dogmatic, authoritarian, lacking in tact, hotheaded and demanding. Dragons tend to be prone to ailments such as hypertension, migraines and diabetes. Prominent dragons have included Bruce Lee, Joan of Arc, John Lennon, and Julius Caesar.

Year of the dragon silver coins can be an excellent investment. An 1890s antique coin, originally valued at 20 cents, is worth close to 300 times that today. As well as countries like China and Japan, where the Chinese zodiac is embraced, these coins are minted in western countries such as Australia, Canada and France, among others.

Naturally, the other eleven signs of the zodiac are represented in coinage as well. France has established a novel tradition of producing zodiac coins in five Euro amounts. For example, 2010 was the tiger. The year 2011 saw the rabbit minted in silver, while 2012, obviously, commemorated the year of the lucky dragon.

As with any commemorative coinage, if you are planning to invest, whether as a casual collector or for the long-term future, it pays to be able to separate the real from the fake. Fake versions of an Australian piece from 2012 are on the market. These can be distinguished from the real version in several ways. Before purchasing any such item, it pays to do your homework.

On one side of the year of the dragon silver coin, the swirls in the clouds are more visible than on the fake version; the claws on the fake are smooth, instead of scaled. The text on the real coin is thicker and the detail is more defined on the genuine article. On the Queen side, she appears to be smiling on the fake version; she is not smiling on the real version. The real deal shows wrinkles on her forehead, while the counterfeit version does not. The fake version also gives the British monarch a sharper nose.




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