We come to it at last… Having celebrated the 20th anniversaries of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movies, NZ Post are now marking that same milestone for the third and final film in the trilogy. Some stunning new stamps are available now, with coins due to ship closer to the holidays.
Here’s what their press release tells us:
NZ Post releases final The Lord of the Rings trilogy stamp and coin collection
NZ Post is proud to release special edition stamps, coins and limited-edition prints to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
To be released November 1st by NZ Post, this is the third, and final, of three 20th anniversary collections – having previously released issues commemorating The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
NZ Post Head of Stamps and Collectables, Antony Harris says, “Like the previous two special edition releases, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be just as popular among Kiwis and international collectors.
“There will be a lot of interest from around Aotearoa, New Zealand, and the world, as this collection marks the final milestone in the history of such an iconic series of films,” Harris said. “The previous two stamp releases have sold across the globe like nothing we had ever seen before.”
The Lord of the Rings is a series of three epic fantasy adventure films based on the novel The Lord of the Rings by British author J.R.R Tolkien.
Harris said, with only eight weeks until Christmas, any items from this final release would make an ideal gift – especially for family and friends living overseas.
The special edition stamps, coins and prints are being released in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products.
The artist behind the stamps and pins is New Zealander Sacha Lees, who began her career at Wētā Workshop working on The Lord of the Rings trilogy as an illustrator, creature designer and airbrush and concept artist.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 20th Anniversary stamps will be released on Wednesday 1 November 2023. To order and read about the collection visit collectables.nzpost.co.nz
Once again, these products from NZ Post are stunning. The eagle (or elf!) eyed among you may notice that these stamps also contain ‘hidden messages’ – keys lines from the movies, somewhere in each image. The coins are equally beautiful; you can see the Beacons and Meduseld ones below. There is also a Gondor coin, and one showing Gandalf crowning Aragorn, the returned king. See these, and take a closer looks at all these fabulous pieces, by visiting NZ Post’s website now.
Last September we shared with you the beautiful stamps and pins the good folks at NZ Post released, to celebrate twenty years since Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was released. Now a stunning pair of coins is available, celebrating those towers (or at least one version of what Tolkien may have meant by his ‘Two Towers’ title!) Here’s what NZ Post’s press release tells us:
After 12 long months of eagerly anticipating part two of the trilogy, in late December 2002 fans were rewarded with the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. After the unbridled success of The Fellowship of the Ring, which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, the second instalment had a tough act to follow. Nevertheless, the enthusiastic audiences for the sequel ensured it was not only the highest grossing film of that year but, at the time of its release, the third-highest grossing film of all time.
The principal photography for all three The Lord of the Rings films took place in New Zealand from 11 October 1999 to 22 December 2000. New Zealand’s mountains, rivers, forests, fields and plains all played a part, and vast studio sets stood in for the more fantastical environments required to build the world of Middle-earth. Weta Digital, the creator of visual effects for the trilogy, doubled its staff for the vast post-production requirements presented by The Two Towers, with challenges that included a large-scale battle scene and the digital rendering of a speaking character.
Thousands of everyday New Zealanders played a part in contributing to this film – from a stadium full of cricket spectators recording an Uruk-hai war cry, to local equestrians riding their horses as extras in the plains of Rohan. Most Kiwis will recognise at least one place as their New Zealand, whether it’s a favourite walking spot near their home or a family holiday destination. The Two Towers is part of a larger legacy left by the trilogy, which gave countless New Zealanders unique experiences, memories to cherish and stories to tell for generations to come.
Minted from 0.999 silver, this set of coins features each of the towers alluded to in the film’s title – Orthanc, the stronghold of evil wizard Saruman, and Barad-dur, where the spirit of the Dark Lord Sauron resides. The coins have a black proof finish and selective colour highlights the detail of Sacha Lees’ artwork.
Set of two silver coins Features the two towers alluded to in the film’s title The obverse of each coin acknowledges New Zealand as the home of Middle- earth Designed by New Zealand artist Sacha Lees Each coin is minted from 1oz of 0.999 silver Low worldwide mintage of 499 sets Presented in an elegant display case with a certificate of authenticity.
Set of two brilliant uncirculated coins Features the two towers alluded to in the film’s title The obverse of each coin acknowledges New Zealand as the home of Middle- earth Designed by New Zealand artist Sacha Lees Low worldwide mintage of 1,000 sets Presented in a specially designed display pack.
As ever with NZ Post, these products are beautiful, and very collectible. The coins are available now on NZ Post’s website.
At the start of August, we told you about NZ Post’s beautiful stamps which were being issued to celebrate 20 years since the release of Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring movie. Now NZ Post have shared with us EXCLUSIVE news about their next new release – a set of commemorative coins. Here’s what they tell us:
As we all know, this year is the 20th anniversary of the release of Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, first in his Lord of the Rings film trilogy. To celebrate, New Zealand Post are bringing out some spectacular new stamps, with brand new artwork inspired by the movie – and we’re delighted to have an EXCLUSIVE first look for you here at TheOneRing.net. Fans will NOT want to miss adding these gorgeous works of art to any collection!
