Tom Maringer had worked with metal for over 30 years when he decided to buy an antique coin press and start minting his own coins, not for money, mind you, but for fun. He made coins by hand-engraving steel dies and pressing them one at a time, the same way it was done in the 1800s. After making coins as a hobby for a few years, Maringer’s work caught the eye of George R.R. Martin, who granted him a license to make coins modeled after the ones in his A Song of Ice and Fire novels in 2003, long before Game of Thrones debuted on HBO, and Shire Mint Press sprung to life.
Since then, Maringer’s hobby has exploded into a full-time business, and he mints coins based on many popular fantasy franchises. A Song of Ice and Fire is just the beginning. He also makes coins based on The Lord of the Rings, Mistborn, The Kingkiller Chronicle, Conan the Barbarian and more. Entrepreneur.com put together a great little video on how the business has exploded:
I do wonder if plans to open a new workshop and storefront in northwest Arkansas this fall have been put on hold due to the coronavirus, but that’ll end eventually. In the meantime, Maringer, his family and his employees are producing incredible coins like this…
…and this…
…and this:
No, that last one isn’t a fantasy coin, but gives you an idea of the breadth of ideas on display at Shire Post Mint. Explore their wares here. These coins don’t actually have monetary value but they are incredibly cool, which may be more important anyway.
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