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I would have to say that aside from the Tolkien Estate itself, no one is representing Tolkien's interests or wishes, and even that is debatable times. Without the man being alive to speak for himself, the Estate is free to interpret or exaggerate to their heart's content, and who is going to gainsay them?

Saul Zaentz Co., Tolkien Enterprises, Warner Brothers, and New Line Cinema, protect no one's interests but their own. I believe they are only typically moved to legal action when someone openly runs a business and makes money from the sale and distribution of something to which they hold the intellectual property rights. In this case, something that falls under the umbrella of "Tolkien and his works' related-merchandise." The coins need not have appeared in the movies. It is sufficient under these contractual laws that they fall under the category of something that could at some point be produced and sold as part of their rights. Thus, the Shire Post can be held accountable for violating those laws based on projected loss of revenue to the litigants should they wish to pursue a similar product one day.

I don't fault them for doing what they did. I'm sure they paid a very large sum to own those rights and thus should be able to protect them. What bothers me is that they have the power to extend those license agreements to others, and this is what Tom tried to do, yet they would rather deprive us all of these inconsequential collectibles in the grand scheme of things than to allow the man to continue his work legally, all the while keeping a percentage of the profits to themselves. It just comes across as petty and vindictive after a point.
This Space for Rent

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Yes, I guess I have overlapped two issues here: #1 being the legality or illegality of fan art interpretations (still up for debate) and #2 being the unwillingness of the various Tolkien Enterprises to extend licensing agreements. Either way, it's the fans who ultimately lose. :(

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For those who are interested, the Shire Post has minted a few new sets of Game of Throne themed coins. They are small 1/2 pennies in sets of 20, meant for gaming or collecting. Here are the links to Tom Maringer's ebay page, but you can also get them through his personal website. :thumbs_up

Six Half Pennies of Westeros: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Six-Half-Penny- ... 20e5884a76
House Stark: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-House-Stark- ... 20e5887fec
House Lannister: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-House-Lannis ... 1e8baaa402
House Baratheon: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-House-Barath ... 20e588ef69
House Greyjoy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-House-Greyjo ... 20e588d813
House Martell: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-House-Martel ... 20e5890b22
And House Targaryen: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-House-Targar ... 1e8baac701

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So my question concerning Shire Post Coins is the source of the coin images?
Are the LOTR/Hobbit related coins designs produced by Tolkien?
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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[quote=""Thranduil""]So my question concerning Shire Post Coins is the source of the coin images?
Are the LOTR/Hobbit related coins designs produced by Tolkien?[/quote]

To my knowledge, the designs are not affiliated with Tolkien at all. They are original. In minting them, the names were slightly changed to protect the 'innocent,' but even that didn't stop the JRR estate machine from shutting down the production of those coins entirely as far as I know. GRR Martin, however, fully endorses and licensed the new GoT/ASoIaF coins so that is why we are getting new sets hitting the market in that line while scrambling on eBay and paying bloated prices for the LotR coins. :thumbs_up If I am incorrect here, please advise. I think Nerdanel is our resident e xp ert in things fantasy numismatic so perhaps she can chime in here....

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[quote=""polyphemus""]To my knowledge, the designs are not affiliated with Tolkien at all. They are original. In minting them, the names were slightly changed to protect the 'innocent,' but even that didn't stop the JRR estate machine from shutting down the production of those coins entirely as far as I know. GRR Martin, however, fully endorses and licensed the new GoT/ASoIaF coins so that is why we are getting new sets hitting the market in that line while scrambling on eBay and paying bloated prices for the LotR coins. :thumbs_up If I am incorrect here, please advise. I think Nerdanel is our resident e xp ert in things fantasy numismatic so perhaps she can chime in here....[/quote]

I don't know that I can call myself the resident e xp ert, but if my crime is a love of fantasy coinage, I am guilty as charged! :thumbs_up

As far as I know, Thranduil, the LOTR/Hobbit images and designs were not created by Tolkien himself, they were just inspired by his work. The designs were meant to be realistic though. The 1403 Shire Penny in particular has stopped the hearts of many a dedicated coin collector for its similarity to a very rare colonial Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling (worth several thousand to tens of thousands).

Shire Post 1403 Penny:
Image


Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling:
Image


Tolkien's works only briefly mention coins and the Middle Earth monetary system. Because I can't say it any better than the original Shire Post website, I'm pasting some text from there (before Tolkien-related operations were ceased) related to the beginnings of the Shire Post and references to Middle Earth money.
I have long been fascinated by Tolkien's writings, first reading them in the mid 1960s as they began to become popular as paperbacks in the US. I was particularly attracted to the lifestyle of Hobbits... their ability to endure adversity at need, yet thoroughly enjoy prosperity with self-indulgence yet without greed. I have also been both a philatelist (stamp collector) and numismatist (coin collector) since childhood. The origin of Shire Post can be found in this passage from Professor Tokien's masterwork THE HOBBIT:

"... We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can't think what anybody sees in them," said our Mr. Baggins, and stuck one thumb behind his braces, and blew out another even bigger smoke-ring. Then he took out his morning letters, and begin to read, pretending to take no more notice of the old man..."

The key phrase here is "morning letters"! Now many may skim over this phrase, but to a philatelist it has many implications. If there are morning letters then that implies afternoon letters... two mail deliveries per day! This in turn implies a very elaborate postal system, including a convenient means of paying for mail... most likely by stamps. Payment for such an elaborate infrastructure implies a monetary system quite beyond simple barter. So the first questions that popped into my head was "What would the envelope look like? What would the stamps look like? What sort of paper would they use? What kind of printing technology do they posess What about postal markings? What would the postal rates be? In what form would payment be made?" All such questions might escape the notice of all but the philatelically inclined, but to a stamp collector they are central.

Well... be brief, I searched for Shire stamps and found none. Eventually, in 1987, I produced the first indicia of postal payment... a hand-carved wood block print indicating prepayment of 1/4p. But the complexities that followed were nearly daunting. I had determined the basic postal rate to be one quarter of a penny... one farthing... which correstponded in nomenclature with the administrative districts of The Shire as outlined by the professor. So I worked out a postal rate structure... but now had to determine postal routes... which required a detailed map. None existed! The only maps provided in any of the books are either too large or too small in scale, so my early efforts had to be directed towards the production of a suitable map by which postal carrier routes could be devised. Thence followed a complete rate structure, including a monetary system and a system of weights and measures. We also adopted a Shire Calendar based on Takahashi Makoto's excellent work (see http://homepage1.nifty.com/hobbit/engli ... index.html ) and a Shire Reckoning date that is offset exactly 600 years from the current Gregorian date. (Thus 2001 Gregorian becomes SR1401)

So the original idea of Shire Post was an interdimensional mail delivery service... it worked such that people would adopt a Hobbit name AND be issued an address in the town of their choice. Then by using my service they would be able to write to each other real pen and ink letters, addressed to a Shire name and address, send them to me, and I would apply all the necessary postal indicia and markings just as if the mail had passed through the Shire, then would be sent under separate cover to the recipient via the Real-World postal system. The whole idea of course is to provide a physical object as a "touchstone" to help bring the fantasy world to life. In many ways we try to bring the "Hobbitly Way" into life as well.

Before the advent of the internet the participation was very very small... only ten to fifteen members. In the mid 1990s I acquired the domain name ShirePost dot com and established a website where I invited people to register a Hobbit identity and participate. Since real mail would be delivered we also require a real-world mailing address, which is kept confidential. The membership slowly grew and people began exchanging letters via the system. I some cases long term friendships have been established thereby.

About the year 2000 I began to think again about coinage. It had always been in the back of my mind of course... but it was a task that was technically quite a bit more difficult than making stamps. But eventually I was able to learn enough and acquire the equipment necessary to begin making coins. My idea was to make a bunch of them and then have them in a treasure box so that I could run my fingers through them whilst chortling in piratical glee. There were only sixteen examples made of the very first Shire pennies, because the dies collapsed quickly. I was so proud of these that within an hour I put a picture on the website. Within another hour I had an email offer to purchase one of those pennies! Thus was the coinage aspect of Shire Post born.

In 1401 we began the tradition of having an actual party for Bilbo's Birthday on the saturday nearest the date of September 22. In this way at least some of the membership of Shire Post has been able to actually meet and enjoy each other's company in fact rather than merely in cyber-form.

Currently there are about 500 members... though many of the early memberships are defunct due to people changing addresses and not notifying us. The membership secretary and Addressing Coordinator is Mundee Baggins. Currently the participation in the exchange of pen-and-ink is very small... email and online forums have become the dominant mode of contact between members, but the system still exists and post runners are still sent out ever and anon, and the mint is still running to keep up with the demands of merchants for small change.
Specifically, in The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 1, "A Long E xp ected Party", we read the following excerpt:

.... "That was Gandalf's mark, of course, and the old man was Gandalf the Wizard, whose fame in the Shire was due mainly to his skill with fires, smokes, and lights. His real business was far more difficult and dangerous, but the Shire-folk knew nothing about it. To them he was just one of the 'attractions' at the Party. Hence the excitement of the hobbit-children. 'G for Grand!' they shouted, and the old man smiled. They knew him by sight, though he only appeared in Hobbiton occasionally and never stopped long; but neither they nor any but the oldest of their elders had seen one of his firework displays - they now belonged to the legendary past.

When the old man, helped by Bilbo and some dwarves, had finished unloading. Bilbo gave a few pennies away; but not a single squib or cracker was forthcoming, to the disappointment of the onlookers.

'Run away now!' said Gandalf. 'You will get plenty when the time comes.' Then he disappeared inside with Bilbo, and the door was shut. The young Hobbits stared at the door in vain for a while, and then made off, feeling that the day of the party would never come."


So we see that, at least in the book version (I cannot fathom why Peter Jackson felt that he had to change this part) Gandalf does NOT give forth with any fireworks to the children, but rather Bilbo gives away a few pennies. The impression is that the pennies are small denomination coins, perhaps enough money to run off and buy some candy at the local store, but not so much as to be extravagant... for the children are disappointed!

Further on in The Fellowship of the Ring, in chapter 11 entitled "A Knife in the Dark" we read the following:

..."In the end there was more than three hours' delay. Bob came back with the report that no horse or pony was to be got for love or money in the neighbourhood - except one: Bill Ferny had one that he might possibly sell. 'A poor old half-starved creature it is,' said Bob; 'but he won't part with it for less than thrice its worth, seeing how you're placed, not if I knows Bill Ferny.'

'Bill Ferny?' said Frodo. 'Isn't there some trick? Wouldn't the beast bolt back to him with all our stuff, or help in tracking us, or something?'

'I wonder,' said Strider. 'But I cannot imagine any animal running home to him, once it got away. I fancy this is only an afterthought of kind Master Ferny's: just a way of increasing his profits from the affair. The chief danger is that the poor beast is probably at death's door. But there does not seem any choice. What does he want for it?'

Bill Ferny's price was twelve silver pennies; and that was indeed at least three times the pony's value in those pans. It proved to be a bony, underfed, and dispirited animal; but it did not look like dying just yet. Mr. Butterbur paid for it himself, and offered Merry another eighteen pence as some compensation for the lost animals. He was an honest man, and well-off as things were reckoned in Bree; but thirty silver pennies was a sore blow to him, and being cheated by Bill Ferny made it harder to bear.

As a matter of fact he came out on the right side in the end. It turned out later that only one horse had been actually stolen.The others had been driven off, or had bolted in terror, and were found wandering in different corners of the Bree-land. Merry's ponies had escaped altogether, and eventually (having a good deal of sense) they made their way to the Downs in search of Fatty Lumpkin. So they came under the care of Tom Bombadil for a while, and were well-off. But when news of the events at Bree came to Tom's ears, he sent them to Mr. Butterbur, who thus got five good beasts at a very fair price. They had to work harder in Bree, but Bob treated them well; so on the whole they were lucky: they missed a dark and dangerous journey. But they never came to Rivendell.

So now we find that another denomination, called the "silver penny" lies above the small (and presumably copper) penny mentioned before! We researched the value of a healthy pony in agrarian society (using 19th century rural America as a guide) and fifty dollars seemed a close guess. So, at an exchange rate of twelve US dollars per Shire silver penny, an appropriate price for Bill the Pony might have been $48.

The "silver penny" is in fact an ancient British coin dating from before the advent of the shilling, and the duodecimal ratio of one-silver to twelve-copper seems reasonable for the Hobbits, (given Bilbo's use of the word "gross" during his party speech) and the other denominations were added to fill in the gap.

Jena Enomoto provides us with a few more examples of coins or money being mentioned by Tolkien:

In Ch. 1. of The Fellowship, there is another minor reference to shire coinage. It occurs after the part where different objects are labeled for different people by Bilbo:

There was plenty of everything left for Frodo. And, of course, all the chief treasures, as well as the books, pictures, and more than enough furniture, were left in his possession. There was, however, no sign nor mention of money or jewellery: not a penny-piece or a glass bead was given away.

As you have already deduced, the penny must not be worth a good deal, since it seems to be held on equal base with a glass bead.

As to non-Shire coinage, in the Apendix of Return of the King, "In the House of Eorl" (second paragraph) there is the following:

'Many lords and warriors, and many fair and valiant women, are named in the songs of Rohan that still remember the North. Frumgar, they say, was the name of the chieftain who led his people to Éothéod. Of his son, Fram, they tell that he slew Scatha, the great dragon of Ered Mithrin, and the land had peace from the long-worms afterwards. Thus Fram won great wealth, but was at feud with the Dwarves, who claimed the hoard of Scatha. Fram would not yield them a penny, and sent to them instead the teeth of Scatha made into a necklace, saying: "Jewels such as these you will not match in your treasuries, for they are hard to come by." Some say that the Dwarves slew Fram for this insult. There was no great love between Éothéod and the Dwarves.'

There are a couple of interesting bits. Again, according to the Eorlingas, a penny must be a small amount, i.e., they wouldn't even give the drawves 'one cent.' It should be noted that since this was part of a dragon hoard, we do not know where the coins would be acquired, although the most like place is Ered Mithrin itself. If so, the coins found in the hoard were likely to have been drawf coins. But since the drawves trafficked with many peoples, their own hoard might have also have contained many specimens of coins.

In the Apendices, Part III: Durin's Folk, we find another interesting notation on coinage: (19th paragraph)

Then Nár turned the head and saw branded on the brow in Dwarf-runes so that he could read it the name AZOG. That name was branded in his heart and in the hearts of all the Dwarves afterwards. Nár stooped to take the head, but the voice of Azog said: 'Drop it! Be off! Here's your fee, beggar-beard.' A small bag struck him. It held a few coins of little worth. Weeping, Nár fled down the Silverlode; but he looked back once and saw that Orcs had come from the gate and were hacking up the body and flinging the pieces to the black crows.

Well, here is an interesting question. Whose coins were those? Orc or drawf? Or other? I think they were dwarf since the Orcs had wrested Moria from them. Moreover, that would be the greater insult by the Orcs: 'here is your leader, see how little he is worth to you?' Hence, dwarfs would have to have their own coins. To be fair, it should also be mentioned that Moria was once a great place and many different peoples would have done trade there. Now regarding the fate of this moneybag:

When at last the battle was won the Dwarves that were left gathered in Azanulbizar. They took the head of Azog and thrust into its mouth the purse of small money, and then they set it on a stake. But no feast nor song was there that night; for their dead were beyond the count of grief. Barely half of their number, it is said, could still stand or had hope of healing.

The only reason I call this into attention is to show that coin (not paper) denomination was certainly used in Middle-Earth (which you already know) but there are other places that refer to purses and moneybags.

There are no references to gold coins, except perhaps an indirect one in Return of the King, Many Partings:

To Sam he gave a little bag of gold. 'Almost the last drop of the Smaug vintage,' he said. 'May come in useful, if you think of getting married, Sam.' Sam blushed.


However, it is interesting that if one reads the description of Smaug's treasure, *there is no mention of any coin.* So perhaps the bag Bilbo gave was trinkets or amulets or what not. (Note from Will Whitfoot: ...Speaking of old Smaug, in Chapter 1 of The Hobbit Thorin says: ..Dragons steal gold and jewels, you know, from men and elves and dwarves, wherever they can find them; and they guard their plunder as long as they live (which is practically forever, unless they are killed), and never enjoy a brass ring of it. Indeed they hardly know a good bit of work from a bad, though they usually have a good notion of the current market value....Clearly implying that even Dragons have a notion of monetary value as distinct from simple precious metal weight content!)

back to Jenna.....

As for The Hobbit, there is also another direct reference to coins, and I believe that it must be dwarf and not hobbit ones referred to. This is in the Flies and Spiders chapter, when the dwarves and Bilbo are in Mirkwood and make him climb up a tree to see how far longer the forest stretches.

They did not care tuppence about the butterflies, and were only made more angry when he told them of the beautiful breeze, which they were too heavy to climb up and feel.

Of course, not caring a tuppence might be an English e xp ression, but to have placed it in this context seems to imply it would have the same meaning to the dwarves, hence they must have their own two-pence coin. Pretty neat!

There are also several direct references to money (such as Bilbo's complaint that he didn't have time enough to get his hankercheif or money) but here is another one that seems to show drawves have their own coinage (from chapter Inside Information)

There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don't e xp ect too much.

Naturally, this could also refer to being assute with *anyone's* money.

The only other e xp licit naming of coins is gold coins, yet we have no idea whence they came. (The Chapter is Roast Mutton) The coins were found in the Trolls' treasure. We know that the swords found there dated all the way back to the First Age, to Gondolin itself, but the coins could have been picked up anywhere. Moreover, since there clothes there of victims, perhaps the coins came from them. It is unlikely that clothing would have survived from the First Age! We also don't know who put the coins in pots:

Gandalf grabbed it and fitted it into the key-hole. Then the stone door swung back with one big push, and they all went inside. There were bones on the floor and a nasty smell was in the air; but there was a good deal of food jumbled carelessly on shelves and on the ground, among an untidy litter of plunder, of all sorts from brass buttons to pots full of gold coins standing in a corner. There were lots of clothes, too, hanging on the walls-too small for trolls, I am afraid they belonged to victims-and among them were several swords of various makes, shapes, and sizes.

There is the next reference: "Let's get out of this horrible smell!" said Fili. So they carried out the pots of coins, and such food as was un-touched and looked fit to eat, also one barrel of ale which was still full.

There is a final reference of note regarding money, said by the People of the Town on the Lake. Once more is implied that purses are used to carry coins. As for the words "money-counters," I picture Scrooge, counting his piles of money. (This is in chapter 14)

"We will have King Bard!" the people near at hand shouted in reply. "We have had enough of the old men and the money-counters!" And people further off took up the cry: "Up the Bowman, and down with Moneybags," till the clamour echoed along the shore.

More info than you bargained for I'm sure, but it's nice to have a record of these things here as well.

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It's too bad they scared the guy making the coins away.
They had absolutely no legal grounds to do so.
If you know how to contact the maker let me know; I'd love to inform him he can continue, if indeed he created them himself.
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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[quote=""Thranduil""]It's too bad they scared the guy making the coins away.
They had absolutely no legal grounds to do so.
If you know how to contact the maker let me know; I'd love to inform him he can continue, if indeed he created them himself.[/quote]

Really? I often wondered about that. I believe the coins were all designed by himself and/or very talented SCA artisans. What about the usage of similar names? Even if the spellings are changed, it's not hard to see "Rohaun" is meant to be "Rohan"?

While I'd love to see the coins return, I imagine the repeated threats of the Estate have done a thorough job of deflating his interest in continuing the project. He'd also have to consider how that would look to other authors he currently has licensing agreements with (GRRM, Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, etc.). I'd imagine he wouldn't want to jeopardize those as they are his bread and butter now. :|

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I have to say I would be very cautious about all this.

There are some very grey areas in the legal world, and it would all be more trouble than Tom is willing to tackle all over again. He is clearly an intelligent and resourceful man, so I'm sure he tried everything possible to be able to sell coins based upon Tolkien's works, and failed.

While the names cannot be copyrighted, the fact remains that these are objects that are purported to represent something that is a part of a world which has legal rights-holders. Unlike Thranduil crafting and selling 20 Eomer helms, these coins could have fallen under the classification of mass production by legal definition, and a profit was being derived from their sale, no percentage of which was going into the Estate's pockets. The real tragedy here is that Tom did his utmost to pay just restitution for his violation and work out a mutually beneficial license that would allow him to continue his work, but did not succeed because someone failed to see the value in it.

So, I don't think what's at issue here is the creation process, the originality of the artwork, or even that proper names cannot be copyrighted, but rather that when you combine all those elements and mass-produce replicas, advertise them, and sell them within the context of a existing and copyrighted body of work, you are in fact infringing upon the law.
This Space for Rent

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[quote=""Valkrist""]... but rather that when you combine all those elements and mass-produce replicas, advertise them, and sell them within the context of a existing and copyrighted body of work, you are in fact infringing upon the law.[/quote]
No offense to you in any way Val, but what you have said here is EXACTLY what they would like people to believe.
I don't believe in any way that what he was doing was violation of the law.

There is no law that confines inspired work.
R.A. Salvatore used Mithril in its full context in his fantasy novels, he even made it clear that Mithril was mined by dwarves.
Tolkien was the first to call elf's elves and dwarf's dwarves, and now they are in the dictionary that way.

The law in these situations boils down to words and their meaning by definition. These issues are shades of gray.

My work is commissioned; that alone sets me at a safe distance from infringement, because it is not mass produced.

The fact that these coins are Tolkien inspired means nothing if they are mass produced as long as they remain unique individual works of art.

Michelangelo does not own the rights to the human male form;
That's the best way I can make my point, albeit vague.

The Ford family does not have royalty rights because Henry invented the assembly line and millions of products roll off assembly lines.

Tolkien has zero rights to "Shire"
zero to "Post"
and zero to "Coin(s)"
He has no rights to the names he invented, or the places he dreamed up.
I seriously doubt a judge would rule against this man for his original work.

Just to further clarify:
If Tolkien had sketched these coins, and this guy used those images, then there would be a serious issue.
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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I see what you're saying, and knowing that you had to research this extensively in order to safeguard your business, I will defer to your greater knowledge on the subject. I'm not an e xp ert in legal matters, but was only trying to apply some reasoning to this whole thing based on what little I do know and a small amount of logical supposition.

One thing I can safely say: even if the Estate is wrong, as you claim, and they were just using bully tactics to get Tom to stop his work, the bottom line is that lawyers and the judicial process can become costly very fast. It seems clear this was a labour of love for the guy, moreso than something he set out from the start to make big bucks on. With that in mind, it might not have been worth it for him to prove in a court of law that he was right. Even when you are inoocent, justice costs a lot of money, and that's how these big entities always have one leg up on the little guy: they can afford a legal team; he might not. :(
This Space for Rent

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[quote=""Valkrist""]I see what you're saying, and knowing that you had to research this extensively in order to safeguard your business, I will defer to your greater knowledge on the subject. I'm not an e xp ert in legal matters, but was only trying to apply some reasoning to this whole thing based on what little I do know and a small amount of logical supposition.

One thing I can safely say: even if the Estate is wrong, as you claim, and they were just using bully tactics to get Tom to stop his work, the bottom line is that lawyers and the judicial process can become costly very fast. It seems clear this was a labour of love for the guy, moreso than something he set out from the start to make big bucks on. With that in mind, it might not have been worth it for him to prove in a court of law that he was right. Even when you are inoocent, justice costs a lot of money, and that's how these big entities always have one leg up on the little guy: they can afford a legal team; he might not. :( [/quote]
I agree with you, it is better to remain out of court than go in.
They have millions, he probably has no room in his wallet for this at all.
I think they count on fear working for them with this factor in mind as well.
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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Ditto , thanks for the info , I really like the Dwarven , Elven and Fire Designs . The prices are very reasonable for what seems to be high quality coins . The smallest are the size of a quarter and the larger half dollar size . Has anybody ordered and received them yet . I will probably be ordering within the week .

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I plan to order tones of it :D But I don't know how these kickstarter projects work :( It seems that for now, only Fire design is available on their site http://fantasycoinhq.3dcartstores.com/ but the rest will be available later when the kickstarter project is finished successfully and newcomers can't order (pledge) until the first run is over...I hope I got it right... read the comments (and post) on the comments page on the kickstarter site for this project (the link that I posted earlier) and maybe you would understand better than I :) Oh and let us know what you find out :)
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift - that's why they call it the present."

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[quote=""Dark Shadow""]I see a lot of nice coins on that site EagleFriend and for a very good price but I don't see any coin of the hobbit is that correct. :) [/quote]

That's correct :) Sorry for digression but I just thought that some of you would be interested... Nothing to do with Shire Post Coins or directly with the Hobbit but nice coins :) I never much liked the design of Dwarven coins made by Shire Post Coins. I mean, I liked that they have that early medieval look but in the same time, having in mind that the Dwarves are highly skilled craftsmen, shouldn't their coins be more elaborate in design? (not to mention more geometrical) They just seem to simple and crude...I like better these Dwarven coins (from the link) than SPC ones...just my humble opinion :)
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift - that's why they call it the present."

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Valkrist""]As we discussed a few posts up, Shire Post does not have the rights to make coins associated with Tolkien's works.[/quote]

Gosh Val, did you have to go and pour salt in that wound again? :'(
It just kills me that I can no longer get a Kastar or Tharni or Silver Foal....just kills me.

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Deimos""]Gosh Val, did you have to go and pour salt in that wound again? :'(
It just kills me that I can no longer get a Kastar or Tharni or Silver Foal....just kills me.[/quote]

Sorry, it sucks for me too, trust me.

Just felt I should remind Dark Shadow that unless you're Weta, Noble, or UC, you're not going to have much luck making Tolkien-related stuff.
This Space for Rent

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Magneticone""]Anyway , in regards to the Fantasy coins , after a few emails back and forth , I did place an order for a bunch of coins . If I understood him correctly they will be shipping in September . I will let you all know if that changes .[/quote]

Were you able to order the Dwarven and Elven coins, or only the coins listed in the online store?

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~~ Thorin Oakenshield

Re: Shire Post Coins

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What I ordered was the Fire , Dwarven and Elven coins , a set of 30 each . Also some Dwarven bars that looked pretty cool .

With the element of Dragons and Smaug in the Hobbit I decided to get the Fire set as well , there designs are rather detailed and the price is right :thumbs_up
Last edited by Magneticone on Mon Jul 07, 2014 3:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Shire Post Coins

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Sent Tim from Fantasy Coins an email in regards to stock merchandise . He contacted me , what they have in stock right now are the Fire coins . They are e xp ecting a large shipment of the other coins in September . That is why he said what I ordered would be coming in September , my card also won't be charged until then either .

All together in coins and bars I should be getting 114 pieces . With shipping I will be paying $70 , very reasonable per piece price . Curious how big the Dwarven Bars will be . :|

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Magneticone""]Sent Tim from Fantasy Coins an email in regards to stock merchandise . He contacted me , what they have in stock right now are the Fire coins . They are e xp ecting a large shipment of the other coins in September . That is why he said what I ordered would be coming in September , my card also won't be charged until then either .

All together in coins and bars I should be getting 114 pieces . With shipping I will be paying $70 , very reasonable per piece price . Curious how big the Dwarven Bars will be . :| [/quote]

Oooh....now I *definitely* have to place an order. Were you able to email him or did you have to go through the "contact me" interface on the Kickstarter page?

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~~ Thorin Oakenshield

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Magneticone""]Buckeye , PM sent[/quote]

Thanks, Mag. I've been in touch with him and am making arrangements for a preorder. The prices are really reasonable, so I plan to pick up the Dwarven set, large and small Dwarven bars, Elven set, Earth set, and Roman set. I'm looking forward to getting my hands in these coins this fall. :thumbs_up

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~~ Thorin Oakenshield

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Magneticone""]I just received a notice that my card will be charged for the coins , guess they will be on their way shortly :thumbs_up [/quote]

Wow, that's early. Last I heard the coins would be available in September. I'll be on the lookout for a similar email requesting credit card info. Thanks for the heads up.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~~ Thorin Oakenshield

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Magneticone""]I just received a notice that my card will be charged for the coins , guess they will be on their way shortly :thumbs_up [/quote]

The last time I inquired about the shipping date for my order of these fantasy coins, Tim said approx. October 17th. No definitive word yet as to whether that is still the target date.

Magneticone, have you heard anything from them recently?

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

~~ Thorin Oakenshield

Re: Shire Post Coins

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I know I'm taking a risk posting this here but... someone in the Netherlands has just put up all four Holly Leaf elven coins for auction, separately. Why the risk? I've placed a bid on the Winter one as it is the last of the four that I need for a set. There is also a rare silver Axe of Durin but I'm not going for it.
Last edited by Valkrist on Tue May 05, 2015 4:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
This Space for Rent

Re: Shire Post Coins

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[quote=""Valkrist""]I know I'm taking a risk posting this here but... someone in the Netherlands has just put up all four Holly Leaf elven coins for auction, separately. Why the risk? I've placed a bid on the Winter one as it is the last of the four that I need for a set. There is also a rare silver Axe of During but I'm not going for it.[/quote]

The seller is the same one from whom I bought the Cartwheel Axe of Thrain. He tends to price his stuff fairly high.

He had listed the Cartwheel 3 times with no takers , starting at about $90 USD, each time lowereing the price just slightly. Fourth time around (and no bids) I made him an offer (can't remember excatly what) but the shipping was almost as much as the price of the coin. I think I paid close to $60 total.

However, I can see that you don't want to risk losing this, so best to just bite the bullet and go for it. I hope you land it! :)

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL
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