1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - Year of the Dragon - Silver Proof - High Relief

Australia's "Year of the Dragon" issues from this period were produced by the Perth Mint specifically to capture demand from Southeast Asian bullion and gift markets, where the dragon cycle year carries particular commercial weight. The 2012 series saw the Mint push into high-relief production more aggressively than in previous lunar years, requiring slower die-press cycles and higher rejection rates to maintain the depth of field the format demands.

The fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley, was introduced on Australian coinage in 1999.