New Zealand Post has announced a new collection of stamps themed around The Lord of the Rings to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film series.

　　In a statement, NZ Post boss Antony Harris said the original run of stamps 20 years ago proved to be immensely popular, so the organization is circling back with a new run of stamps to celebrate the anniversary. "NZ Post was very proud to support the original film project by producing a set of stamps at the time. These sold across the globe like nothing we had ever seen before," Harris said.

　　The 20th anniversary Lord of the Rings stamps from NZ PostNZ Post collaborated with local artist Sacha Lees on the stamps. Lees worked on the Lord of the Rings movies and was commissioned to create the original run of stamps 20 years ago.

　　"Be it commercial or fine art, I'm driven by the process of creating--the discovery through research, the problem-solving journey to visually express complex narratives and ultimately the meditative practice in the realisation of an idea," Lees said.

　　The stamps feature a number of iconic scenes and characters from Fellowship of the Ring. The collection includes Gandalf in Hobbiton, the Hobbits at the Prancing Pony, Arwen saving Frodo, and Gandalf's showdown with the Balrog.

　　"These stamps acknowledge that this iconic film is now a significant component of New Zealand history, culture, and identity," Harris said.

　　Unfortunately for New Zealand, Amazon has decided to move production on its Lord of the Rings TV series out of the country and into the UK for Season 2. New Zealand Film Commission boss David Strong responded to the news, saying, "It's a shame and I feel for everyone who has put their hearts into this production."

　　The stamps went on sale September 1, and more "stamp-related collectibles" will become available in October and December, NZ Post said.

　　Lord of the Rings fans can also celebrate the anniversary with an epic six-movie 4K bundle with lots of extras that releases in October for $250. Outside of that, Amazon is producing a big-budget TV series that debuts on September 2, 2022, while Warner Bros. is fast-tracking a Lord of the Rings animated movie.