At a time of frightening uncertainty, amid an epic struggle between good and evil, a band of individuals must reconcile their fates. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ told the story of how courage, commitment and determination can lead even the least of us to change - and even save - the world.
Issue information
The final enthralling instalment of the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ arrived in 2003. We shared the triumphs and tragedies of our heroes in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. Now we witnessed the compelling conclusion to this epic motion picture trilogy - a landmark in cinematic achievement.
This amazing feat of cinematography and visual effects had left us all in awe, not to mention in nail-biting suspense as witnesses to this spectacularly epic struggle between good and evil. The final episode in the trilogy - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ returned us to the treacherous enemy lands where we last saw Frodo, Sam and their brave compatriots. They continued their struggle against the dark forces, each facing their own test of courage, duty, loyalty and circumstance, all sharing the fear that they may not be up to the task before them.
Share the Triumph
New Zealand Post was honoured to present The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ - the third and ultimate collection in a stunning stamp series that had been acclaimed by collectors and Tolkien fans around the world. This collection shared the remarkable story with six outstanding stamps that featured key characters from the final episode - Legolas, Frodo, Merry and Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf the White and Gollum.
Miniature Sheets
The six stamps in this evocative collection gained even more power when set against their scenes in the movie - as in the six very special miniature sheets that accompanied the collection.
Self-adhesive Stamp Booklet
The stamps were also available in self-adhesive format. The pocket-sized 10-stamp booklet contained four 40c and two 90c stamps and one each of the 80c, $1.30, $1.50 and $2.00 stamps.
First Day Covers
The forces of darkness gathered to defeat our heroes' quest to detroy the Ring of Power, and enemy lands became a turbulent, dangerous, treacherous battleground. Three first day covers captured the menace of the final scenes.
Presentation Pack
You could learn more about this awe-inspiring achievement in the presentation pack for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™. You learned more about the stamps, the characters and the movie itself, while preserving your own record of this timeless story for generations to come.
Maximum Cards
Six maximum cards took you on set with director Peter Jackson and the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™. Each provided a fascinating glimpse of the remarkable attention to detail that was a hallmark of the trilogy, and of the suspense-laden scenes we could expect to see when it premiered in theatres around the world.
The Ultimate Collection - Everything in One Place
As a tribute to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™, New Zealand Post produced 'The Ultimate Collection' - a beautifully presented folder that contained all of the products that were available in the official stamp issue. It included one of each of the six stamps (in gummed and self-adhesive format), a sheet of each denomination, six miniature sheets, the presentation pack, eight first day covers, the self-adhesive stamp booklet and the six maximum cards.
Product Listing for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Click on image to enlarge.
Technical information
Date of issue: | 6 November 2003 |
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Number of stamps: | Six |
Denominations and designs: | 40c Legolas, 80c Frodo™, 90c Merry and Pippin™, $1.30 Aragorn™, $1.50 Gandalf the White™, $2.00 Gollum™ |
Designer: | Frans Lenzen, CommArts Design, Wellington |
Printer and process: | Southern Colour Print, Dunedin by offset lithography |
Number of colours: | Four process colours |
Stamp size and format: | Gummed: 25mm x 50mm (vertical and horizontal); Self-adhesive: 26mm x 37mm (vertical and horizontal) |
Paper type: | Gummed: De la Rue 103gsm red phosphor stamp paper; Self-adhesive: JAC non DC PSI B100 PSA stamp paper |
Perforation gauge: | 14.4 x 14 |
Number of stamps per sheet: | 25 |
Special blocks: | Plate/imprint blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps from a sheet. Barcode, value blocks and logo blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least two stamps from a sheet. Barcode blocks were available in both A and B format for sheet stamps. |
Period of sale: | These stamps remained on sale until 5 November 2004. |