Considered an absolute tour-de-force of the fantasy movie genre, Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is now 20 years old, and in a rare occurence, the New Zealand Post is issuing, in partnership with APMEX, a silver bullion coin to celebrate. The movie, and its sequels, were filmed in Jackson’s native New Zealand, hence the association, and the NZ Post have a long history with the Lord of the Rings franchise. Packed with big stars, the movie went on to make almost $900m, and was followed in 2002 by ‘The Two Towers’ and in 2003 by ‘Return of the King’. It’s unusual to see big, expensive blockbusters come out in rapid succession like that, but no doubt it will aid the NZ Post in continuing to release a new coin annually – well, at least two of them.

This one look really good, especially for a bullion coin. Depicting Frodo reaching out for the ring, it’s an excellent choice of perspective and packed with a lot of detail for the type. The micro lettering on Frodo’s sleeve (“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”) is a fine, unexpected touch. The obverse is simple, with just the effigy of Elizabeth II on it, surrounded by issue inscriptions.

A very neat release for a much loved franchise, the tight mintage of 10,000 pieces is attractive, as is the fact that New Zealand bullion coin issues aren’t a dime a dozen. Collectors in NZ should be able to pick them up from the NZ Post, while distribution elsewhere is being handled by the aforementioned APMEX. Available to order shortly.