A giant of the literary and film worlds, irrespective of genre, J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ sequence has topped bestseller lists around the world for decades, They made the move to the big screen in 2003, with an epic trilogy helmed by Peter Jackson, which amassed 17 Oscars (including a staggeringly 11 out of 11 nominations for The Two Towers), and made $3 billion in box-office takings alone. There’s a good presence in the coin world, with several producers issuing themed coins, chief amongst them the New Zealand Mint.

The pop-culture coin specialist has released a very cool new coin today, struck in five-ounces of fine silver, and reproducing a map of Middle Earth. It has a frame filled with script, place names picked out in red colour, and a coloured emblem in one corner. The ‘torn’ edge is a terrific touch. The theming continues on the obverse, with the Public Seal of Niue surrounded by the inscription from the One Ring.

The NZ Mint always does presentation well, and this coin is no exception, even at a $499 USD price. With a mintage of just 250 pieces, and a licence with the popularity of Lord of the Rings, we expect this will be a sought after release, and rightly so, in our view. Very nice. Available from today.