Shire Post website

[Ser Camaris]

Hi Tom,

I got home earlier to find that, to my excitment, my Faceless Man toekn had arrived.

I just wanted to say how impressed I am with both the quality of the coin, and the service. Being in Australia, I expected to be waiting much longer for the delivery. I also appreciated the personal touch, something far too often missing in business today.

The token itself is very well done, and as soon as my budget recovers from the festive season I will be adding to my collection.

If anyone is thinking about purchasing from Shire Post, I have no hesitation in recommending them.

Thanks again,

Camaris

[Master of Coin]

Thanks Ser Camaris! Glad you're enjoying!

A couple people have asked privately about why my packages say SHIRE POST INTERDIMENSIONAL ACCESS on them.... thought I'd take a moment to explain that.

Some people are aware of the multiverse theory that is currently popular in particle physics. The idea is that time is NOT just the linear construct we usually image but also has width... like a ribbon. Sidewise from us on that ribbon are alternative time-lines or alternate universes (depending on how you look at it). The "Circle of Ourobouros" from the Robert H. Heinlein books postulates that all imaginary universes (like the fictional places in Star Trek, Middle Earth, Westeros etc) are all REAL places somewhere on the infinite wheel... fantasy authors simply tap into the unique capacity of MIND to perceive them.

So... my idea was that Shire Post was a place where a portal existed whereby actual artifacts from these other alternative "dimensions" could find their way into our ordinary existence. These artifacts would then act as "touchstones", mind focalization devices to assist in transporting the mind to these realms to make them more real.

Now of course... I am actually making these objects... but it is amusing and fun to postulate that they are actually being brought here from those places. That is why nothing ever has copyright notices or RW (real world) markings of any kind.

So in case anybody is confused... that's the story.

Have fun! (becauase that's what it's all about!)

Tom

[Wolfheart]

While that would be neat, they'd have to cost a few hundred bucks, unless they were merely "goldish".

How bout using brass or a brass alloy? You get that yellow luster but for cheaper than gold?

[Master of Coin]

How bout using brass or a brass alloy? You get that yellow luster but for cheaper than gold?

We may have to revisit that topic... but last time I communicated with George about it he seemed adamant that the coins should be real in every aspect. Brass does LOOK a lot like gold... but with a density of 8 grams/cc it does not compare in FEEL to real gold with a density of 19 grams/cc. Gold coins have a completely unique feel in the hand and a peculiarly "slinky" sound as they slide over each other in a bag or pile. That aspect of the experience would be lost by making them in brass. On the other hand... in real gold nobody's ever going to have enough of them to experience that. It's a conundrum.

[Wolfheart]

Maybe two versions? One in pure gold and one in a brass alloy? But I do agree with George. I'm curious as to how big would the golden dragons would be in comparsion to the size of any american coin? And possible cost per coin?

I know I wouldn't buy more than two if I could, if they were out of gold.

THird thought, maybe gold alloy?

[Master of Coin]

Maybe two versions? One in pure gold and one in a brass alloy? But I do agree with George. I'm curious as to how big would the golden dragons would be in comparsion to the size of any american coin? And possible cost per coin?

I know I wouldn't buy more than two if I could, if they were out of gold.

THird thought, maybe gold alloy?

Gold alloy? Yes it would be conceivable to go as low as 10k gold (41.67%)... and that would help some as far as cost. Size: a HUGE question. People more familiar with the books than I have pointed out a number of points in the text that speaks about size. Particularly a scene in which somebody is doing a finger-roll with a gold dragon. Finger-rolls are where you flip a coin over the fingers on the back of your hand. Typically the coin must be at least half-again as wide as your finger below the second knuckle. US quarters don't work real well... too small. A half-dollar is doable but almost too big. So something between 1" and 1 1/8" (25mm to 29mm) would be ideal for this. That equated to the size of the old pre-1933 US ten dollar gold piece... typically 16.170 grams of .900 fine (90%) gold, containing ~.484 troy ounces of gold. Problem... that's a BIG coin... containing ~$650 USD just in the raw gold value. Making such a coin would be awkward due to the metal costs and would end up costing well over a thousand dollars retail and I just don't see that enough people would be in a position to buy one to make the investment in the dies worthwhile.

So if we abandon the idea of a large coin we could go in the direction of real-world historical gold coins which often tended to be small. A coin of one or two pennyweight (1/20 or 1/10 troy ounce... 1.56g or 1.31g) would make a lot of sense in terms of monetary utility in the fantasy world, and the ratio of value between silver and gold. It would also make more sense in terms of a collectible because the retail price could be in a range accessible to more people. The problem of course is that it then does not match with "canon" according to the works. So a small "quarter dragon" or "tithe dragon" or "dragon disme" or some such could be easily contrived as a fraction of a dragon.

But no decision has been made and no dies have been cut. Die blanks are prepared and sitting (quite still under the influence of an overwhelming inertia) at the engraver's, awaiting some decision or inspiration in order to get the idea moving again.

Be well!

Tom

[Yellowbeard]

Many thanks to Daralys, Lord Mountain Goat, Other-in-Law, and others (in-law or otherwise) who recently purchased the the iron coin of the Faceless Man! He's on his way and should be arriving in your nieghborhood very very soon.

I had mentioned that some of the examples from batch 2 seemed to show strangely morphing facial features. Here's a photo of 12 of them laid out side by side with the light angle varying across the array. There is a shadowy image visible in specular reflection in the upper left-hand corner... and on the others the mottled surface seems to form itself into different faces depending on how you look at it.

http://www.shirepost.com/fm-iron-12diff-batch2.jpg

There are some differences in the finish from batch to batch. I am "circulating" them rather brutally in a rotating barrel filled with ceramic media from pea size to thumb size... then shaking them up with blueing salts and then rolling them in steel shot. The results are always interesting, but seldom the same. Here's what we've got so far.

Batch 1 (24 pieces) Smooth black finish

Batch 2 (120 pieces) mottled brown/black

Batch 3 (72 pieces) speckled black

Wow. The faceless man coins came out way differently from the tumbler than I would have expected. I almost wish I had had one of mine tumbled now.

By the way, since I don't post often but want a little bit of bragging rights, Tom actually let me strike the first faceless man coin myself, which I have in my pocketses right now.

You can really see the shadowy figure in those more than in mine, which never saw the inside of a tumbler...

[Master of Coin]

Ah Yellowbeard! I only just now noticed your post. Yes this Yellowbeard fellow was here on the day the vintage 150 ton knuckle press lumbered into action on the Faceless Man project. He also helped with the cold-rolling of the iron and the punching of blanks. I got things adjusted on the striking press and then let him do some striking for a while, so he got the keep the first one. The blanks are hand-centered on the lower die so there is always a bit of variation. At last count there are only about forty coins left, though I do still have enough of this special batch of high purity iron to make a second run. The material is no longer being produced though, so when this batch is gone that's it.

Much happiness to all!

[Master of Coin]

It is my sad duty to report that Greg Franck-Weiby has passed away. Greg is the medieval coin expert and master engraver who hand-cut the dies for several of the Westerosi coins I make, including the Silver Stag of Aegon, the Iron coin of the Faceless Man, and the pennyweight silver Pfenig of Eddard Stark. He suffered a massive stroke a few days ago and did not recover.

Greg has been hugely influential in the fantasy coin world, using his knowledge of real-world coins and his craft to create coins that look and feel like they should have (or would have) if the fantasy realms were real. He cut dies for most of the Tolkien coins that are known (in which context he was known as Oswald Oakleaf of Archet), for many of the SCA realms (in which context he was known as Master Moneyer Sir Ian Cnulle).

I raise a glass to my friend, colleague, and cohort. May his journey into the great unknown that lies beyond be thrilling and his deepest questions find answers.

Be well...

Tom Maringer

[Ran]

Very sorry to hear this, Tom. He did wonderful work.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

[Xray the Enforcer]

RIP Greg.

And condolences to all of Greg's friends and loved ones.

[stormlander]

Apparently, this website was offline, but now it's back up. Homepage and direct link to the GRRM-licensed ASOIAF coins here.

looks great

[Master of Coin]

So... I talked with George a couple months ago and he decided that yes, he did want me to go ahead and make at least one dragon coin type. The idea would have been to make a bunch of each one in brass, maybe as many as a thousand. But a very small number... the first two dozen off each fresh new die set perhaps... would be in real gold and have a special secret mark etc. These would be the super-special pieces for the most die-hard of fans. Brass would have to do for most. We were still in the air on the final projected weight and size of the coin... but I think we were aiming at about quarter sized weighing about 1/4 troy ounce of gold. They'd have to be priced somewhere north of a grand considering where gold prices are these days... but they'd be the real thing and have that inexpressible FEEL that genuine gold coins have.

The project was on the work list with Greg and just waiting in line when Greg passed away. I think there were some rough sketches... I'll have to see if his widow has copies. I think the first dragon coin was going to be a Targaryen king again... just because the three-headed dragon is a compelling and unique design. Other kings would just have one-headed dragons for the reverse side.

But the long and short of it is that we'll have to come up with another die artist. Greg's passing has set the dragon project back considerably. He was world class. There are a couple of apprentices and I plan to meet them when I attend Greg's funeral saturday next. I will try to find out if either or both of them are ready to carry on Greg's legacy in Westeros.

The Aegon Targaryen silver stag remains as some of Greg's nicest work, very delicate modeling of the three faces and the classic Scythian style stag on reverse. The Eddard Stark silver was his last piece for GRMM... done in a very authentic style based on a 13th century Germanic culture period with a very nicely modeled Wolf Rampant on reverse... and on obverse Ned has got a face that is more pensive than fierce. By the way, when Greg cut the obverse of the Ned he was not very familiar with the books and did not yet know that Eddard Stark (spoiler alert) is not (as we say) a "long lived character" in the story. He loses his head quite early in fact. I just find it interesting that the face as it appears on the coin has a character that fits with the story even moreso than a more agressive face would.... and it just sorta happened that way... not really intentional. Sometimes things work out. Sometimes not.

[Master of Coin]

Master of Coin here... just wanted to mention that I received authorization from George to re-strike and re-issue the earlier coin types that have been sold out for some time. To honor the second season of the HBO series I've done a special repolishing of the steel dies and have decided to upgrade the silver pieces from 2.4 grams of 90% silver to a full 1/10 troy ounce (3.1 grams) of .999 fine silver! Also, where the original ones were done in medal registration (you flip the coin over side to side to view the reverse) they are now done in coin registration (you flip them top to bottom). So between the weight and the registration and the printed insert in the holder it's pretty easy to tell the old from the new. The newly reminted silver coins that are now available at the online store are:

Silver stag of Aegon I Targaryen (The Conqueror)

Silver stag of Aerys II Targaryen (The Mad King)

Silver Brothel token from THE PEACH, Stoney Sept (only the uncouth would call this a "dwarf's penny")

Silver "stag" of Torrhen Stark, Winterfell.

The repolishing of the dies went very well, using a new technique I've just discovered (and which is not written ANYwhere) so these are all very bright fresh and new looking. And of course being fine silver they have a fabulous weight and feel to them. Online store is here: https://secure.gcmcomputers.com/shirepost/catalog/index.php?cPath=31_37

The bad news is that the price has increased on these items to $20 each due primarily to the increased weight in silver, the volatility of the silver market price, and the increased effort to create those blanks. In case you wonder... this is a one man shop and I do all the work myself. I am now making all my own blanks. I start with fine silver bullion coins and bars and melt about 50 oz at a time (about 1.5 kg). I pour that into a bar-mold, which I then roll out (annealing three times) to the proper gauge before punching the blanks with a manual screw press. The blanks are then annealed one more time and tumbled clean and bright before striking.

The good news is that the Robert Baratheon copper star has been REDUCED in price from $12 to $10, and is now being struck on a somewhat lighter planchet under increased force. I am also restriking the Winterfell copper penny which is the lease expensive item on the list.

Many thanks to those who have honored me with your patronage over the years. It is important to me to make these pieces as authentic in design and material as possible so that these small pocket-items may serve to help us make the fantasy more real. Have fun!

Tom Maringer

[Master of Coin]

Just wanted to mention that I have started putting up some of the newly restruck coins on Ebay... same buy-it-now price as at the online store, but in celebration of approval for a third HBO season I'm offering FREE SHIPPING within the US... in case that makes a difference.

I'm still working with advisers on ideas for more coins.

[scurvy]

Terrific service and a really nice product. Thanks Tom. I recommend Shire Post Mint wholeheartedly.