1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait, Fellowship of the Ring

Issued by New Zealand Post under license from Warner Bros. and the Tolkien Estate, this coin is part of a broader commemorative program tied to the 20th anniversary of Peter Jackson's film adaptation. New Zealand's involvement is not arbitrary — the films were produced entirely in-country, and the government made substantial legislative changes to the Employment Relations Act in 2010 specifically to secure the production of The Hobbit, a political maneuver that drew significant criticism from international actors' unions.

The selective gold plating is applied post-strike, a finish technique now standard in the New Zealand Mint's collector bullion output.