Chinese Dragon 10 Avos Portuguese Macau Authentic Coin Money for Jewelry and Craft Making (Colonialism)(Year of the Dragon) (Macao)

Chinese Dragon 10 Avos Portuguese Macau Authentic Coin Money for Jewelry and Craft Making (Colonialism)(Year of the Dragon) (Macao)

Obverse: Five crowned towers, above five small shields, to the left of the "Sub-Shield of Macau”, which shows a Dragon. All of that in front of an Armillary Sphere (circle with lines through it)
Lettering, surrounding: * MACAU * 門 澳

Reverse: Value flanked by upper and lower dots within circle
Lettering: REPUBLICA PORTUGUESA
毫 壹
*10 AVOS*

Features
Issuer Macau (China)
Period Overseas Province (1951-1976)
Type Standard circulation coin
Years 1967-1976
Value 10 avos (0.1 MOP)
Currency Pataca (1894-date)
Composition Nickel brass
Weight 4.6 g
Diameter 22 mm
Thickness 1.5 mm
Shape Round
Technique Milled
Orientation Coin alignment ↑↓
Demonetized Yes
Number N# 2942
References KM# 2a, Schön# 2a

Wikipedia:
In 1935, most Portuguese colonies were given coats of arms that followed a standard design pattern. For Macau, a Chinese Dragon was used for the part of the shield featuring a design unique to each colony.

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The coats of arms of all the Portuguese colonies were introduced in 1935. All the colonial arms were of the same model: divided vertically in such a way that two sub-shields are formed. The dexter was white with five small blue shields each bearing five white discs (i.e. the “Quinas Cross” representing the motherland of Portugal). The sinister represented the colony. The base green and the white waves indicate the overseas location. To complete the badge, the arms were set upon a golden armillary sphere with a golden mural crown.
(Harald Müller, 05 Aug 1996)

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Wikipedia:
Coat of Arms of Portugal

At center, five escutcheon shields, forming a cross. On each shield are five round "plates".

These five shields are arrayed in their cross on a larger shield. They are surrounded by seven golden, triple-towered castles.

Behind the shield, is an armillary sphere (which looks like a circle crossed by lines).

Present and past elements of the Coat of Arms of Portugal:

Quinas
Quina (plural quinas) is the Portuguese term for a group of five things.

After the official recognition of the Kingdom of Portugal as an independent country in 1143 (it had been self declared as so in 1139), silver bezants were added to the blue cross of the shield, symbolising coins and the right of the monarch to issue currency, as leader of a sovereign state. Eventually, and given the enormous dynamism of medieval heraldry, it is believed that the shield degraded and lost some elements in battle, eventually losing the cross format. This is how King Sancho I inherited the shield from his father, Afonso Henriques, with the cross replaced by escutcheons with the silver bezants. A traditional legend explains that these escutcheons represent the five moor kings defeated by King Afonso I of Portugal in the battle of Ourique.

The number of silver bezants in each escutcheon varied extensively, with versions having represented from four up to eleven. In the late 14th century however, the number of bezants was fixed in five. Late explanations interpret them as the five wounds of Jesus Christ and/or the thirty pieces of silver (with the five bezants in the middle escutcheon counted twice), although this is highly improbable.

From the fixation of the number of bezants in five, the groups of the five escutcheons, each with five bezants of the Portuguese shield became popularly referred as quinas. By synecdoche, the term "Quinas" came to be used as an alternative designation of the coat of arms of Portugal and came even be used as a reference to anything that represents Portugal (e.g. the Flag of Portugal being often referred as the "Flag of the Quinas").

Castles
It was during the reign of Afonso III that the red bordure with golden castles (not towers, as some sources state) was added. Although the number of castles could vary between eight and twelve, Afonso IV would define them as twelve, and Sebastian I would finally fix them as seven. They supposedly represent the Moorish castles conquered by the Kingdom of Portugal during the Reconquista. Their origin is probably Castilian, but unlike Spanish castles, which usually have their gates coloured blue (hence opened), Portuguese castles were usually depicted with gold gates (hence closed). As a matter of fact, Afonso III was the second son of King Afonso II of Portugal and thus was not expected to inherit the throne, which was destined to go to his elder brother King Sancho II of Portugal. As a second son, the coat of arms of Afonso III included both the arms of his father and the arms of his mother Urraca of Castile, thus the Castillan red border with golden castillan castles, around the Portuguese shield inherited from his father.

Armillary sphere
An important element of Portuguese heraldry since the 15th century, the armillary sphere was many times used in Portuguese naval and colonial flags, mainly in Brazil. It was a navigation instrument used to calculate distances and represents the importance of Portugal during the Age of Discovery, as well as the vastness of its colonial empire when the First Republic was implemented.

Although it is commonly regarded as a "republican" element, as opposed to the monarchist crown in the blue/white flag (see Flag of Portugal), its usage predates the republic by several centuries; it was the personal emblem of Manuel I. Some flags of the monarchic era, such as the flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, already depicted armillary spheres. The incorporation of the armillary sphere into the 1816 flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves is related to the adoption of the first flag of the Kingdom of Brazil, an armillary sphere on a blue background.

Crowns
The coat of arms sported different crowns during imperial rule of Portuguese and foreign crowns.

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The Dragon is the fifth of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Each year has an animal sign according to the 12-year cycle. The next Dragon Year is 2024.

The Dragon symbolizes power, nobleness, honor, luck, and success in traditional Chinese culture. The Dragon is a supernatural being with no parallel for talent and excellence.

The Dragon’s Personality: Confident, Intelligent...
Among the Chinese zodiac animals, the dragon is the sole imaginary animal. The Chinese dragon is the most vital and powerful beast in the Chinese zodiac, although Dragons have an infamous reputation for being a hothead and possessing a sharp tongue.

In ancient times, people thought that Dragons were best suited to be leaders of the world with their character traits of dominance and ambition.

Gifted with innate courage, tenacity, and intelligence, Dragons are enthusiastic and confident. They are not afraid of challenges, and willing to take risks.

However, Dragons are sometimes regarded as aggressive, and angry Dragons are not open to criticism. They don't consider themselves irritating and arrogant. Instead of following tradition, they strive for a smooth future.

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/dragon.htm