The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — Sauron (Silver Proof, Colour)

Sauron is the Dark Lord, the principal adversary of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He forged the One Ring in the depths of Mount Doom to dominate all the Rings of Power and poured much of his strength into it; having lost the Ring, he wants nothing more than to recover it. In the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Sauron appears in armour, wearing the Ring on his hand — the way audiences remember him.

In 2026, for the 25th anniversary of the film, The Royal Mint continued its seven-coin collection of 50p coins made with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products: after the One Ring came two new Fellowship of the Ring coins — this one, with Sauron, and the Frodo and Sam coin. The reverse shows Sauron wearing the One Ring, and the legend “The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring” is rendered in colour (on the gold version without colour printing).

The prologue of the film recounts the Last Alliance of Elves and Men: at the foot of Mount Doom, Isildur cuts the Ring from Sauron's hand, and Sauron loses his bodily form but does not perish — as long as the Ring exists, so does its master. Since then Sauron returns in the guise of the Great Eye above Barad-dûr and sends his servants in search of the Ring, which turns Frodo's whole expedition into a flight and a stealthy march to the very lands of the enemy. That is why the image of Sauron wearing the Ring is not simply a villain but the embodiment of the power that Frodo and his companions must resist throughout the whole trilogy. In the film trilogy Sauron rarely appears in bodily form, which makes his presence all the stronger: a single mention of the Eye is enough to turn heroes from their path.

The film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released in December 2001 and won four Academy Awards — for cinematography, make-up, Howard Shore's score and visual effects; the trilogy as a whole won seventeen Oscars. It is to this anniversary that the Royal Mint timed the new collection of 50p coins: it will include seven coins, issued over three years on the anniversaries of the three films. The coins are struck in the distinctive heptagonal shape of the British 50p, traditional for the mint's themed issues based on books and film universes.

The silver version is struck in .925 sterling silver to Proof quality with colour printing: weight 8.00 g, diameter 27.30 mm. The maximum mintage in the Royal Mint specification is 7,513 pieces (stated limit 7,500). It is supplied in an acrylic block within a two-piece box sleeve. The launch price was £99.50. Such silver 50p coins are issued by the mint in small numbers and are aimed first of all at collectors.

Obverse

The obverse is the official side. The current coin portrait of King Charles III by Martin Jennings: the king is shown uncrowned, facing left. The legend reads CHARLES III·D·G·REX·F·D· — “Charles III, by the grace of God King, Defender of the Faith”; below are the denomination 50 PENCE and the year 2026. The coin is a curved equilateral heptagon with a plain edge.

Reverse

The reverse is the story side. Sauron wearing the One Ring on his hand; around him runs the legend “The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring”. The legend is coloured by colour printing.