Cook Islands 2012 Year of Dragon 4 Coin Rectangle Color Silver 1 Oz Proof $1 Set

Year of the Dragon silver proofs form an even-grander scene inside this innovative display case! The Perth Mint has done it again!

Large, beautiful rectangular coins in a brilliant display case, all featuring impressive color. And all struck in pure silver. These coins are huge - at 47.60 mm wide, they are nearly 2 inches across! What's more, this set comprises the complete Year of the Dragon.

Issues in 1 ounce rectangular form, featuring beasts of four different colors! When you assemble the coins end-to-end (as they come in the display packaging), they com together to create a large, Oriental-style vignette. Best of all, the mintage is limited to. Only 3,000 complete sets worldwide.

At our low price, this set represents a tremendous value and a great investment! Create this Dramatic Tableau with All Four Dragon Rectangles!

Four Different Coins Combine to Make One Cohesive Scene! There are four different dragon portraits, one per coin, each with a different colored beast: brown, orange (golden), red and blue.

Each dragon chases after its own pearl of wisdom, set against a backdrop of Orientalist waves and clouds. Form a single outdoor scene when placed end-to-end in the order described above. To highlight this tableau, the Perth Mint has developed an ingenious new presentation box that showcases all four silver proofs contiguously, thereby allowing display of the entire vignette while protecting the coins in an elegant, red and black case! The Year of the Dragon - Most Powerful and Auspicious! Centuries ago, the Chinese invented a calendar based on the lunar (rather than the solar) cycle. There are twelve animals in the Chinese lunar zodiac, each corresponding in sequence to a year rather than a month. In 2012 we celebrate the Year of the Dragon. According to tradition, people born during a Year of the Rabbit (1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, and 2012) are said to exhibit that animals attributes. While Dragons frequently help others, rarely will they ask for help.

Others are attracted to Dragons, especially their colorful personalities, but deep down, Dragons prefer to be alone. Perhaps that is because theyre most successful when working alone. Their preference to be alone can come across as arrogance or conceitedness, but these qualities aren't applicable. Dragons have tempers that can flare fast! Theyre driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks.

Theyre passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion. This is the second annual release of Lunar Animal 4-Coin Rectangular Silver Proof Sets. The Oriental or Chinese concept of the dragon is much different than the European notion of this beast.

Whereas in the West dragons are nearly always evil, fire breathing creatures of immense size and destructiveness, in the East they are beloved. Chinese dragons are benevolent, representing most auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, and floods.

In yin and yang terminology, a dragon is yang (male) and perfectly complements a yin (female). Is a mystical being, able to use an almost unlimited range of magical or supernatural powers. It is able to disguise itself as a silkworm, or become as large as our entire universe. It can fly among the clouds or hide in water. It can form clouds, turn into water or fire, become invisible or glow in the dark. It is interesting to note that the Oriental dragon's ability to fly is a magical (not a physical) ability; unlike European dragons, Chinese dragons are rarely if ever depicted with physical wings. Historically, the dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China. Many pictures of oriental dragons show a flaming pearl under their chin. The pearl is associated with wealth, good luck, and prosperity.

In Chinese culture, the pearl also symbolizes perfection, which is only obtained through the highest forms of wisdom. As such, the pearl is retained in the clutches of the dragon, who, like the emperor, reveals great "pearls of wisdom" as it bestows abundance and prosperity upon its people.

This coin features the most powerful and auspicious of all the animals in the Chinese Lunar Zodiac - the Dragon. The dragon is always the most popular animal, and always sells out. Previous Year of the Dragon coins now sell for many multiples of their issue prices.

Don't delay, tame your dragon today! The Perth Mint of Australia employs its own proprietary colorization technology, in which the color is actually sealed on the coin.

The vibrant hues and precise execution of the technology create a stunning, full-color portrait on each coin. Four different vignettes of different colored dragons, each set in an oriental-style scene of waves and clouds.

Each dragon chases its own colored pearl of wisdom. The Chinese character for "Dragon" and the Perth Mint's "P" mint mark also occur. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, in crowned profile facing right. This portrait, featuring Her Majesty wearing a tiara and pearl drop earrings, was executed by the sculptor Raphael Maklouf.

The legend ELIZABETH II, the date of issue and denomination also appear. The coins are encapsulated inside an elegant, oversize luxury presentation case with a see-through lid that allows for the easy display of the coins, protected by a full-color outer box.

An individually-numbered certificate of authenticity is included. 4 Dollars (4 x One Dollar). 124.54 g (4 x 31.135 g). 47.60 mm nearly 2 inches!

The Cook Islands are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The fifteen small islands in this South Pacific Ocean country have a total land area of 92.7 square miles (240 square kilometers), but the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 700,000 square miles (1.8 million square kilometers) of ocean. As of the 2006 census, the country has a total population of just under 20,000. The main population centers are on the island of Rarotonga (14,153 as of 2006), where there is an international airport. There is also a much larger population of Cook Islanders in New Zealand, particularly the North Island. In the 2006 census, 58,008 New Zealanders identified themselves as being of ethnic Cook Island Maori descent. With over 90,000 visitors traveling to the islands in 2006, tourism is the Cook Islands' number one industry, and the leading element of the economy, far ahead of offshore banking, pearls, marine and fruit exports. Defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request. In recent times, the Cook Islands have adopted an increasingly independent foreign policy. Talisman World Coins and Medals has been in business for more than 20 years and is one of the largest world coin direct distributors and wholesalers in the world.

The item "Cook Islands 2012 Year of Dragon 4 Coin Rectangle Color Silver 1 Oz Proof $1 Set" is in sale since Sunday, November 03, 2013. This item is in the category "Coins & Paper Money\Coins\ World\Australia & Oceania\Australia\Commemorative".

The seller is "talismancoins" and is located in Saint Louis, Missouri. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Circulated/Uncirculated: Uncirculated
Year: 2012
Composition: Silver
Country of Manufacture: Australia