I picked up this 1oz silver round the other day, celebrating the upcoming Year of the Wood Dragon, minted by Asahi Refining.
Lunar Year of the Dragon
The Dragon is a symbol of good fortune and great power, the most powerful and noble of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac calendar. From February 10th, 2024 to January 28th, 2025 is the year of the Wood Dragon. Twelve different animal Zodiacs each have their turn and repeat every twelve years, so people that were born in the Chinese year of 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, etc. were born in the year of the Dragon, and thought to be self-assured, independent, confident, enterprising, passionate, and brave.
1oz Silver Dragon Round
This 1oz .999 fine silver 2024 Year of the Dragon round was produced by Asahi Refining, based out of Tokyo, Japan. A high quality and respected company, they formed in 1952 with Asahi Holdings' purchase of the Johnson Matthey Gold & Silver Refining businesses.
The front side of the round features a Wood Dragon, wrapped around a cypress tree, symbolizing the year's themes of prosperity, growth, and unwavering strength. Along the left curve of the round is the text "YEAR of the DRAGON", along the bottom curve is the upcoming Chinese Year of the Dragon "2024", the Wood Dragon specifically for 2024.
The reverse side of the round features the "Asahi Refining" logo, with the text "LUNAR CALENDAR SERIES" just below the "REFINING" text.
Along the top curve of the reverse side is the text "1 TROY OUNCE", along the bottom curve is the text "FINE SILVER 999".
Dragons are legendary, this one has a cool serpent style to it, filling the coin with it's twists and bends. The cypress tree is a nice touch too, a fine silver coin for the stack.
