2 oz Pure Silver Coin – Niue Island 2020 – 5 Dollars

The Four Auspicious Beasts (四象) are four mythological creatures with deep roots in Chinese history and culture. In ancient Chinese astronomy, the constellations were studied to understand the movement of the sun and moon, in order to determine the seasons and time. It is believed that these Four Auspicious Beasts appeared amongst the constellations as the guardians of the Four Cardinal Directions. Surrounded by a plethora of mythical associations and legends, each of them represents a different season and direction as determined by their positions in the skies.

The Azure Dragon of the East (also known as Qīng Lóng (青龙), Green Dragon, or Blue Dragon) is the most prominent of the Four Auspicious Beasts. As the guardian of the East, it rules over the season of Spring and the element of wood.

The Azure Dragon presented in this piece holds magnificent form on the reverse of the collectible in a strong and striking stance. Incredible detail and attention were applied to deliver the serpent-like scales and texture of the wood elements surrounding it. Colored in yellow gold is the noble name of the Azure Dragon in Chinese and the title of the series. An ancient Chinese constellation map sits on its obverse to finish, surrounding an octagon shape inspired by the yin-yang elements that houses the legal tender of Niue Island, the official effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

A new minting technique called “Bi-Metal Plus” was applied to give this piece an impressive size and weight. At 80mm in diameter, it is double the size of a regular 2 oz collectible, made possible by combining 11.5 oz of copper embodied within two layers of 99.9 fine-silver totaling 2 oz, to deliver a super ultra-high relief topped with silver antiqued finishing.