The Hobbit stamps and coins to be issued by New Zealand Post

The six stamps are each available on a single-stamp miniature sheet, and depict the following characters from the new film:

• Bilbo Baggins (70c value)
• Gollum ($1.40)
• Gandalf ($1.90)
• Thorin Oakenshield ($2.10)
• Radagast ($2.40)
• Elrond ($2.90)

The self-adhesive stamps are perforated 14.4 x 14 and printed by Southern Colour Print Ltd by offset lithography.

With three films set to be released over the next three years, New Zealand Post will be issuing more Hobbit stamps in the future, with characters from each instalment likely to be shown on the values.

The epnoymous hero of the films is played by British actor Martin Freeman, while Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield) and Sylvester McCoy  (Radagast) join the list of living Britons to appear on stamps.

New Zealand Post also has exclusive rights to produce legal tender commemorative coins that celebrate Sir Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films, which have been filmed in New Zealand.

The five designs of commemorative coins show:

Bilbo Baggins on both a silver and gold coin and an uncirculated coin
Characters Thorin Oakenshield, Gandalf and Radagast, and three of the thirteen Dwarves appear on three uncirculated coins.
Each coin has a $1 denomination.

Film schedule:

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released on 14 December 2012
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug released on 13 December, 2013
• The Hobbit: There and Back Again slated for 18 July, 2014.

For more details of the stamps and coins visit the website: www.nzpost.co.nz/thehobbit

For all the latest coin and stamp issues, see each issue of Stamp & Coin Mart magazine