WEST FORK, Ark. — If you drive along Main Street in West Fork, you might notice a building resembling a warehouse and not think much of it. But, once you step inside, you'll find any fantasy lover's or coin collector's paradise.
"It's really satisfying being able to make a tactile thing with art on it, and, you know, being able to go just all in on the details of the coin," Shire Post Mint CEO Woody Maringer said.
Shire Post Mint is a family-owned coining operation in Arkansas. Using antique coin presses, Shire Post Mint transfers hand-engraved fantasy designs onto coins.
What first started as a hobby, turned into a business for founder Tom Maringer. Tom started the business in 2001 with his first coin press.
"I've always been a coin collector ever since I was a little kid," Tom said. "My family had the opportunity to travel ... The coins gave me this sense of place where I was based on what the coins were like. They all felt differently to me."
Beyond his love for coins, Tom discovered his love for "The Lord of the Rings" books when he was in high school.
"I really got into that," Tom said. "There are some mentions of coins in the story ... I finally stumbled onto a coining press. And I was like, 'Well, yeah. I could actually make these.' And then I made a few."
With the growing popularity of "A Game of Thrones," Tom and Woody also found a way to incorporate that world into their one-of-a-kind store.
"Through the years, [I] was able to get in contact with George Martin, get licensed with 'Game of Thrones' to do coins for his world," Woody said.
Tom said designing is a fluid process.
"The process of designing is something that we just kick around ideas," Tom said. "It's kind of fun that we have the wherewithal, the tools, to take a kind of a goofy idea and just go ahead and make it."
Woody said the cool thing about the coin press is that they can easily recreate a piece of art.
"It's not like I put all my art in this one thing and sell that one thing and I got to do another one. It's like, I can put it all into this tooling, and then everybody can get one," Woody said.
With this easy avenue to recreate cool designs, Shire Post Mint offers far more than "Lord of the Rings" and "A Game of Thrones" coins. They also have coins that replicate a vinyl record, moons, pizzas, and more! For a good look at their designs, check out their website.
For those looking to visit the store, it is located at 52 W Main St. in West Fork. Shire Post Mint is open Monday through Saturday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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