The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

‘In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit.’

From this humble sentence coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in the early 1930s, the novel we know today as The Hobbit was born. Its sequel, The Lord of the Rings took New Zealand by storm when our very own Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson brought the trilogy to the big screen.

New Zealand is home to Middle-earth once again, with the release of the first of three films based on The Hobbit, entitled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The film follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen Dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.

New Zealand Post is excited to issue official stamps and coins celebrating The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The range of stamp and coin products not only portray the characters and themes of the film, but also reflect New Zealand as the home of Middle-earth, and are destined to be collectables for years to come.

For definitions on coin products and terms that you may come across in this coin issue click here.

Finished products may differ from those illustrated online.