Royd Tolkien and his brother Mike visit Hobbiton

Many of you will know that Royd Tolkien, great-grandson of the Professor, is currently in New Zealand. He’s completing a ‘bucket list’ of activities left for him by his brother, Mike, who sadly died from ALS (also known as MND) in 2015. Mike was an adrenaline junkie; Royd, by his own admission, is most definitely not. His brother’s list, therefore, is a challenge for Royd, and will see him facing fears and undertaking all kinds of adventures on his mission – quest – thing…

All Royd’s exploits are being filmed for a documentary, There’s a Hole in my Bucket. You can find out more about it in this video: [click here]. Royd says, “It is a journey of discovery and inspiration,” intended “to remind people how precious and important life is and to make every second count.”

Those of you lucky enough to be in Wellington next week can join Royd on Wednesday, 12 April, at the Roxy Cinema in Miramar. At ‘An Evening with Royd Tolkien‘, you’ll hear him talk about his experiences completing his fifty

Auction item: full orc head prosthetic made by Weta Workshop

challenges (which should mostly be done by next week). You will also have the chance to bid in a fabulous auction, with none other than Jed Brophy as the star auctioneer! Today, Royd announced that one of the amazing items up for grabs is a genuine Weta Workshop full Orc Head prosthetic, made for one of Royd’s challenges (see left). What an amazing addition that would make to any Middle-earth collection! Other auction items include a Gandalf statue signed by Peter Jackson himself, and pieces signed by Richard Taylor.

And the good news is – even if you aren’t in New Zealand, you can still participate in the auction! If you check out the Facebook event page [here] you’ll find an email address for Jodie, the event coordinator. To place an absentee bid on any of the auction items, we’re told you can simply send Jodie an email, and she’ll send you the Absentee Bidding Form, which lists all the auction items, reserve prices, and any the information you may need. If you’re an avid Tolkien collector, an art fan, a wine connoisseur, a foodie, or even a keen sailor, you’ll find something to please on the incredible list of auction items. Check out the event page, contact Jodie, and grab yourself an extraordinary treasure!

The event is a fundraiser for MND New Zealand. Details on how to buy tickets to attend are on the event page. If you’d like to know more about MND New Zealand, or support them, click here.

Be sure to let us know if you attend the event – we’d love to hear all about it!

 

shire-post-mint-leavesIt may be a little late for Christmas shopping, but there are many holidays and celebrations at this time of year (and if you’ve been wondering about holiday gift ideas, we hope you’ve checked out our Holiday Gift Guide); and of course it’s never too late to treat yourself! So we thought our readers would like to know about the beautiful Elvish Four Leaf Set recently released by our friends at Shire Post Mint.

The four coins are shaped like holly leaves, and are in different metals to represent the four seasons. Shire Post Mint say, ‘Also known as Eregion (meaning Land of the Holly in Sindarin), Hollin was an Elven Realm of the Noldorin Elves during the Second Age. It was located near the West Gate of Moria, or Khazad-dûm. These coins were made by the Noldorin Elves while under the rule of Celebrimbor, the great Elven-smith and forger of the Rings of Power. Hollin was later destroyed during the War of the Elves and Sauron.’

You can read more about this stunning set here, and can see full details and place an order here. Coins have been considered lucky New Year presents in many cultures – perhaps start 2017 with a talisman for the good fortune you hope to see throughout the year?

15283997_10153836877507303_7664320130909090391_nIf you’ve been following our friends at Weta Workshop on social media, then you’re already aware of their current 12 days of Christmas promotion. If you haven’t been following them, make sure you start or you’ll be missing amazing events like this one. Weta is now into Day 8 of their 12 Days of Christmas. Each day brings a new riddle fans can guess the answer to for a chance to win great prizes. How do you get the chance to guess and win? You can guess on today’s item, or on any of the previous items, via Weta’s various social Media platforms. You have until midnight, New Zealand Time, on December 5th, 2016. So get those guesses in and good luck!

NYCC - New York Comic-ConOne month on from New York ComicCon , we thought readers might enjoy a gallery of images from the event – to see the fun which unfolded in the Big Apple, and perhaps to reminisce, if you were there!

Big thanks to all who came and visited TORn’s booth this year. The convention was bigger than ever, and fighting one’s way around the show floor is no easy feat! It is always a delight to meet with fellow fans, and we loved chatting with all who came by – or who joined us at the ‘Fan Meet-up’ on Saturday night. And of course it was a joy to hang out with everyone who joined us on the Thursday evening for our annual ‘Ringers take Manhattan’ party. Special thanks to Graham McTavish for coming along, and being a true gent to all the partygoers.   Continue reading “New York ComicCon – Photo Gallery”

14756336341ca934fe51f1d07fb239361f5cd8cfe8Previewed during Comic-Con 2016 at the Weta Cave, our friends at Weta Workshop are proud to announce their newest statue for The Hobbit Trilogy line of statues. Joining the collections of many collectors world-wide is none other than The Witch-King as we saw him at Dol Guldur during The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. This fantastic statue is a super dynamic pose of The Witch-King looking to take out a member of The White Council. Collectors, you can add this to your collection for $349 and I would do so quickly as the edition size of this one comes in at only 750 pieces. The expected delivery of this one is scheduled for December of this year.