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, Maringerās work caught the eye of George R.R. Martin, who granted him a license to make coins modeled after the ones in hisĀ A Song of Ice and FireĀ novels in 2003, long beforeĀ Game of ThronesĀ debuted on HBO, and Shire Mint Press sprung to life.
Since then, Maringerās hobby has exploded into a full-time business, and he mints coins based on many popular fantasy franchises.Ā A Song of Ice and FireĀ is just the beginning. He also makes coins based onĀ The Lord of the Rings,Ā Mistborn,Ā The Kingkiller Chronicle,Ā Conan the Barbarian and more.Ā Entrepreneur.comĀ 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 thatāll end eventually. In the meantime,Ā Maringer, his family and his employees are producing incredible coins like thisā¦
ā¦and thisā¦
ā¦and this:
No, that last one isnāt 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 donāt actually have monetary value but they are incredibly cool, which may be more important anyway.
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