The Perth Mint has gone back to where the series began. Its Chinese Myths and Legends 10th Anniversary Dragon and Phoenix 2026 1oz Gold Proof Coloured Coin carries a maximum mintage of 128 pieces and revives the pairing that opened the program a decade ago.
That choice is the story. The 2026 series year already belongs to the Dragon and Horse, which appears across silver bullion, coloured and carded formats. The anniversary coin sits apart from that theme entirely, and instead returns to the dragon and phoenix motif that launched the run in 2017.
Ten years of Chinese Myths and Legends
The series began with a 2017 dated Dragon and Phoenix issue, released into a Hong Kong market that absorbed most of it almost immediately. What followed was a decade of variations on a single premise: the dragon paired with another powerful creature, real or imagined, arranged in balance across the reverse. Dragon and Tiger, Double Dragon, Double Pixiu, a solo Dragon, the Phoenix, Dragon and Koi, the Four Guardians and the Double Phoenix have all taken their turn.
Few modern programs hold a visual idea that consistently for ten years without wearing it out. The anniversary release is the Mint’s acknowledgement of that, and it does the acknowledging by closing the loop rather than extending the line.
The Dragon and Phoenix reverse design by Natasha Muhl
The coloured reverse, by Perth Mint designer Natasha Muhl, gives the phoenix the left of the composition, its plumage flowing and its wings outstretched in blue, red, green and orange. The dragon answers on the right with sharp claws, a serpentine body and fish-like scales in orange, red, pink and blue. Floating cloud motifs fill the field behind them, alongside the 2026 year date and the P10 mintmark.
The 2017 design arranged both creatures around the flaming pearl of Chinese mythology, the motif that anchored much of the early series. The Mint’s description of the anniversary reverse centres instead on the two creatures themselves, the clouds, the date and the mintmark. It is the same pairing, read differently a decade on.
The Mint frames the subject in the traditional terms: the dragon as strength, wisdom and life giving power, the phoenix as grace, virtue and peace, and the two together as the balance of yin and yang. The obverse carries the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III with the coin’s weight, purity and monetary denomination.
What the P10 mintmark means
The P10 mintmark is not exclusive to this coin. It appears across the wider 2026 Chinese Myths and Legends range, on the Dragon and Horse bullion, coloured and carded issues, marking ten years of the series wherever it turns up.
It is also not the only P10 in the 2026 catalogue. The Australian Swan series reaches its own tenth anniversary this year and carries a P10 of its own. Two programs launched in 2017, two decade markers landing in the same catalogue, which makes 2026 something of an anniversary year at East Perth.
Dragon and Phoenix 2026 gold proof specifications
| Year | 2026 |
| Metal | Gold, 99.99% |
| Weight | 1 troy oz (31.107 g minimum gross) |
| Denomination | 100 Australian dollars |
| Diameter | 32.60 mm maximum |
| Thickness | 2.95 mm maximum |
| Finish | Proof, coloured |
| Maximum mintage | 128 |
| Designer | Natasha Muhl |
| Obverse effigy | Dan Thorne portrait of King Charles III |
| Legal tender | Australia |
| SKU | 26Y50AAA |
| Price at release | AUD 9,174.99 (The Perth Mint) |
Price, packaging and where to buy
Each coin ships with a numbered certificate of authenticity in a black display case with a wooden lid, presented inside an illustrated shipper.
Distribution follows the split the series has used for years. Buyers in Australia and New Zealand order directly from The Perth Mint. Everyone else goes through LPM in Hong Kong, whose listing confirms the arrangement from the other side: the coin is not available there to Australian or New Zealand customers. LPM also notes that certificate serial numbers are allocated at random, so requests for specific numbers will not be entertained.
The Perth Mint listed the coin at AUD 9,174.99 at release. As with all of the Mint’s gold collector coins, that figure is tied to the metal price rather than fixed at issue, so treat it as the price on the day and expect the live listing to have moved.
A decade of Chinese Myths and Legends, in 128 coins
Ten years is a short run measured against the Kookaburra or the Nugget, and the Chinese Myths and Legends series has never pretended otherwise. What it has built instead is a decade of collectors who bought into one idea and stayed with it, mostly in silver, mostly in the thousands.
The anniversary piece is the opposite proposition. At 128 coins it is a closed door almost as soon as it opens, and the collectors who wanted the 2017 coin and missed it are unlikely to find this any easier. The consolation is that the milestone itself is not scarce. The P10 mintmark will keep appearing across the 2026 range all year, which is a more democratic way to mark ten years than a 128 coin gold proof, and a good deal easier to get hold of.
Frequently asked questions
How many Dragon and Phoenix 2026 gold proof coins were struck? The Perth Mint set a maximum mintage of 128 coins worldwide for the Chinese Myths and Legends 10th Anniversary Dragon and Phoenix 2026 1oz Gold Proof Coloured Coin. That is the whole run, across every market.
What does the P10 mintmark mean? The P10 mintmark marks 10 years of the Chinese Myths and Legends Coin Series. It is not unique to this coin: it appears across the 2026 Dragon and Horse issues as well, and the Australian Swan series carries its own P10 for its tenth anniversary in the same year.
When did the Chinese Myths and Legends series start? The series began with a 2017 dated Dragon and Phoenix issue, which is the pairing this anniversary coin returns to. Dragon and Tiger, Double Dragon, Double Pixiu, a solo Dragon, the Phoenix, Dragon and Koi, the Four Guardians and the Double Phoenix followed over the decade since.
Who designed the coin? Natasha Muhl designed the coloured reverse. The obverse carries the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III alongside the coin’s weight, purity and monetary denomination.
How much does the coin cost? The Perth Mint listed it at AUD 9,174.99 at release. Gold collector coin pricing is tied to the metal price rather than fixed at issue, so the current figure will differ from the release price.
Can collectors outside Australia buy it? Buyers in Australia and New Zealand order directly from The Perth Mint. Everyone else buys through LPM in Hong Kong, which handles the coin for all other markets and does not sell it to Australian or New Zealand customers.
Is the coin legal tender? Yes. It is Australian legal tender with a monetary denomination of 100 Australian dollars, struck from 1 troy oz of 99.99% pure gold, so the face value sits far below the metal value.
What does the coin come with? Each coin ships with a numbered certificate of authenticity in a black display case with a wooden lid, inside an illustrated shipper. LPM allocates certificate serial numbers at random.
