WEST FORK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Shire Post Mint, a family-owned mint shop in West Fork, is getting in on pop culture by creating coins for popular franchises like Game of Thrones and The Hobbit.

Shire Post Mint began in 2001 when owner Tom Maringer bought his first antique coin press. He had a passion for coin collecting since his childhood and his years of knife-making gave him metalworking knowledge that he used to start making coins.

The business opened its mint and gift shop to the public at 52 Main St. in West Fork, Arkansas on Saturday, October 1.

The techniques used of hand-engraving steel dies and pressing one at a time are the same used in the 1800s and earlier.

After a few years of research, refinement, and building a small following online, his work caught the eye of George R.R. Martin, who was interested in having coins made from his new series of books, A Song of Ice and Fire, and was then picked up by HBO for the Game of Thrones series.

To learn more about the process of minting coins visit its website Shire Post Mint.