MOSCOW, August 23 The Royal Mint of Great Britain minted a separate coin dedicated to the life and work of the English writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
«We are delighted to present the official £2 ($2.50) coin as one of the most anticipated collectible coins of the year, celebrating the life and work of John R. R. Tolkien,» the statement reads. mint.
The coin was previously included in the 2023 collection and aroused the greatest interest among collectors. The reason for its minting was the 50th anniversary of the death of the writer, which is celebrated in 2023.
The coin depicts Tolkien's monogram, around which a runic design is minted. On the edge of the coin you can read a poetic line from the novel «The Lord of the Rings»: Not all those who wander are lost («Wanderers do not all disappear»).
As noted in the communiqué, £2 coins are one of the most beloved among collectors. Since 1998, more than 50 coins of this denomination have been minted in Britain, including those dedicated to Jane Austen and Shakespeare.
Tolkien is one of the most popular writers of the 20th century, the founder of modern fantasy. The most famous of his works are The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, The Lord of the Rings, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Poems from the Scarlet Book. A large number of publications were published posthumously under the editorship of his son Christopher Tolkien, among them — The Silmarillion, The Story of The Hobbit, Beowulf: Translation and Commentary, The Fall of Gondolin, and others.
His works have been repeatedly adapted for movies: Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, released from 2001-2003, became one of the most successful in film history and grossed nearly $3 billion, with Jackson's three films based on The Hobbit and released in 2012-2014.