A classic is reborn. The Reverse Dragon coin is one of the most sought-after vintage Chinese coins and has been brought back to life in the form of a 1oz silver coin.

Struck in 1911, the Reverse Dragon Pattern Dollar was made at a turning point in Chinese history. The Qing Dynasty, which had begun in 1644, was coming to a turbulent end — and with it, two millennia of imperial rule. A year after this coin was struck, the last emperor of China, the six-year-old Puyi, abdicated.

On the obverse, it features a regal and imposing Dragon suspended in mid-air amid wisps of clouds, a fiery pearl appears near the bottom of the design. The long wavy whiskers issuing from the Dragon’s nostrils appear like a curly moustache. Two vertical Chinese characters appear which signify the denomination (One Yuan) and in English, along the periphery, the English legend states “ONE DOLLAR”.

On the reverse, it contains an all Chinese legend. Between the outer crenulated border and the inner pearled ring, the Manchu and Chinese characters form the outer legend. Four Manchu characters appear above and four Chinese characters below which state, “Hsuen Tung, 3rd Year” (1911), and these sets of characters are separated by ornate floral sprays. The central Chinese inscription states, “Ta Ch’ing Yin Pi”, meaning “Great Ch’ing (dynasty) Silver Coin”.