Shire Post Mint
Makers of Comemmorative and Fantasy Coins
based on History, Mythology and Fiction
brings you:
Coins inspired by the fictional works of
George R.R. Martin!
We present for your enjoyment:
The Silver Stag of King Aegon Targaryen I
This small silver "stag" piece is from the mythical realm
of Westeros shortly after the unification of that land by the event known
historically as Aegons Conquest. Westeros is the scene of events taking
place in the series of novels by author George
R.R. Martin This particular piece is struck in appx. 2.4 grammes of
coin silver (.900 fine), about 21mm in diameter, done in the "high art"
style with fine engraving and a stylized portrait of King Aegon, flanked
by his two sisters (and wives) Rhaenys and Visenya. The king wears a crown
with three dragons heads on it. The saying that "The dragon has three heads"
refers to the fact that the three siblings ruled almost as one.
The reverse of this piece shows a classic stag done in
the Scythian style, and symbolizing the denomination of the coin... one
"stag". By the time the stories in the novels take place, Aegon's
conquest is an event of history some two to three hundred years earlier,
but it is entirely likely that many examples of the coinage would endure.
If you have not had a chance to catch any of George's
novels, they are widely available in bookstores and libraries. The series
is called A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE (ASOIAF) and currently there are four
sequential novels (of a planned seven). The first is A GAME OF THRONES,
followed by A CLASH OF KINGS, then A STORM OF SWORDS, and the fourth: A
FEAST FOR CROWS. There is also a comic book series called THE
HEDGE KNIGHT based on the same mythology.
If you would like to purchase one of these coins, you
may CLICK
HERE to go directly to the correct category at the secure Shire Post
online store.
The Copper Star of King Robert Baratheon
If you would like to purchase one of these coins, you
may CLICK
HERE to go directly to the correct category at the secure Shire Post
online store.
A Brothel Token from "The Peach"
This silver token is from an establishment called THE
PEACH, in Stoney Sept Westeros, the scene of the mythological events taking
place in the series of novels by author George R.R. Martin. Establishments
of this sort are frequented by the short-statured Tyrion Lannister, a major
character in the novels, and in light of this such brothel tokens are sometimes
referred to as a "Dwarf's Penny" by the uncouth and uncultured. It is thought
to have been struck by private arrangement at the Oldtown mint (the details
of which we can only imagine as they do not appear on the mint ledgers)
around the 300th year after Aegons conquest united the seven kingdoms of
Westeros. The peach fruit depicted on obverse is intended to symbolize...
well... perhaps well leave that to the imagination.
The reverse side is inscribed simply "ONE". In
use, these tokens were purchased at the going rate from the management
of the establishment to gain admittance, and then tendered to the courtesan
of choice, who then turned them back in to the mangement as proof of services
rendered. They seldom circulated outside the establishment except in cases
where a friend would purchase one as a gift. For this reason they are considered
rather rare.
If you would like to purchase one of these coins, you
may CLICK
HERE to go directly to the correct category at the secure Shire Post
online store.
The Dothraki Puli of Khal Drogo
This unusual piece is an example of "wire coinage"...
that is... coins which are struck with primitive tools along a length of
heavy wire, and are then cut apart as needed for use as currency. The copper
"puli" are the small denomination coins. (Puli is the plural of pul) They
are cut down into singles and pairs, or left in full strings of ten which
can be bent into bracelets.
They are also issued in silver, which are called Dengi
(Dengi is the plural of Denga). They are used by the Khalasar of Khal drogo
as currency, being made of captured silver using simple tools that can
be easily transported with the horsemen.
Khal Drogo is of course the leader of the Khalasar when
we meet him in George R.R. Martin's books. The Khalasar is a horde of fierce
nomadic tribesmen. The design of these coins is actually modeled closely
on the real-world wire
kopeks
of Ivan IV of Russia (also known as Ivan the Terrible) and shows a marauding
horseman on one side, with text on the other.
If you would like to purchase one of these coins, you
may CLICK
HERE to go directly to the correct category at the secure Shire Post
online store. (scroll down to find the particular coin you're looking for)
The Silver Stag of Winterfell
This silver piece is of the size and weight that is known
as a "Stag". It dates from some three hundred years before the copper "star"
featured above... from back before Aegon's conquest, when Westeros consisted
of seven independant kingdoms. The last ruler of the independant North
Kingdom was Torrhen Stark, whose castle at Winterfell features heavily
in the first of author
George R.R. Martin's books from the Song of Ice and Fire series, A
GAME OF THRONES.
This piece weighs about 2.3 grams of .900 fine silver,
and is about 18mm in diameter. The dies are done in a primitivistic style
reminiscent of the medieval coinage of the real-world William I period.
The obverse features a facing portrait of the king bearing war-hammers,
with the inscription TORRHEN STARK around, and the reverse features the
face of a Dire Wolf, and the inscription WINTERFELL.
SOLD OUT
Small denomination pennies in copper are also known to
have been struck in this design. They are a bit wider and heavier, and
of course have a more coppery colour to them. See image below.
SOLD OUT
The Silver Stag of Aerys II Targaryen
This silver "Stag" dates from the reign of Aerys II, the
"Mad-King" and last of the Targaryen rulers of Westeros, shown holding
a boar-speak and pot of "wildfire". He was defeated in battle by Robert
Baratheon in AC 283 (the 283rd year after Aegon's Conquest united
the isle of Westeros which had before consisted of seven independant kingdoms).
The Targaryens (the "Dragons") still figure prominently in author
George R.R. Martin's books from the Song of Ice and Fire series, A
GAME OF THRONES, ACLASH OF KINGS, and A STORM OF SWORDS.
The reverse of the coin features a simple stag, showing
its denomination, and the mintmark "OT" for Old Town.
If you would like to purchase one of these coins, you
may CLICK
HERE to go directly to the correct category at the secure Shire Post
online store.
Online
Store
...where fantasy coins and other items ar available to
purchase
Shire
Post News
...where fantasy coins and other items ar available to
purchase
Coins
...detailing the early evolution of the Shire Post Mint
Return
to ShirePost Home Page
We hope you enjoy perusing this site! Shire Post is devoted to the premise
that fantasy is a useful tool in growing our own personalites. We dream
of far away places and better times and imagine ourselves in heroic pursuits,
and somehow this fantasizing makes us better people in real life, if we
internalize the lessons. It further seems that small everyday objects,
like coins and stamps and letters from friends, can bolster our "sense
of place" and transport us more fully into these realms of thought.
Tom Maringer: MintMaster
contact: maringer@arkansas.net
Please visit other sites dedicated to the mythology of George R.R.
Martin through the following webring:
