EVERY BOOKSHELF DESERVES A PAIR OF KINGS.
If you’ve watched The Lord of the Rings, you’ll remember the Fellowship travelling down the river beneath two enormous statues, each with a hand raised as though daring anyone to come any farther.
That’s the Argonath—the Pillars of the Kings. Standing on opposite banks of the River Anduin, they mark an ancient boundary of Gondor. They’re one of those sights that stays with you long after the film ends.
And they look pretty damn good guarding a collection of books, too.
These particular fellows were made for a customer who is a big Argonath fan, and I wanted his pair to have something personal about them. Something he could put on display and enjoy looking at for years.
Getting them there took a fair bit of work: preparing, painting, working through the details, positioning the eagles, bringing out the texture, and building up the finish before the final clear coat. Plenty of turning them around, checking them from another angle, and going back to give something a little more attention.
The dark finish and silver highlights bring out the robes, faces and rocky bases. Then come the Veteran Coins touches: the gold VETERAN coin, the silver REMEMBER coin, and the engraved HONOUR and COURAGE cartridges. Fantasy and remembrance brought together in one very personal pair.
I’ve spent enough time staring at these two that I’m half expecting them to lower their arms and tell me to leave them alone.
Why would you want a pair? Because your favourite books deserve an entrance worthy of the worlds inside them. Because a study, desk or display shelf can always use something that makes people stop and ask, “Where the hell did you get those?”
And because, if you love Middle-earth, having two kings standing guard in your own home is a pretty satisfying thing.
This pair belongs to its customer. If you’ve got an idea for something personal of your own, send me a message and we can talk.
— Drew, Veteran Coins