Signed 2nd Impression Hobbit 27th July 2021

Mr. Underhill
Shirrif (Moderator)

27 Jul, 2021
2021-7-27 9:04:42 PM UTC

galbus wrote:

I had exactly your same sentiment: the auction has been listed on the internet with the catalogue only some days before the selling. .

So what's the difference between it being listed on the "internet" and being listed here? Last I checked this site is on the internet.

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Stu

27 Jul, 2021
2021-7-27 9:25:36 PM UTC

I thought it would be about £20,000

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Stu

27 Jul, 2021
2021-7-27 9:32:05 PM UTC

galbus wrote:
onthetrail wrote:
Nah, I wouldn't frequent a site that acted this way, and while I wouldn't speak for others here, I would hope the serious collectors and buyers would agree.

A good number of the eBay listings are already posted here after conclusion, and the users here comments on results, prices reached and who has bought what. So which is the difference?

What you are suggesting just isn't going to happen. The site has always posted advance notice of auctions where someone wants to submit. Where there is something I personally am going to bid on, I'm clearly not going to post it up in advance, and nor would you. But *other people* posting up advance notice is going to continue, whether you personally like it or not. It seems a bit cheeky as a new user with a handful of posts to be telling a 15 year old site to change its ways, tbh.

This book was always going to sell at this price point. You could buy an unsigned 2nd impression with very good, complete jacket for £5000 at the start of COVID (there were two at that price for a while), but that ship has sailed. The signature would have added £5,000 back then. In the current market for Hobbits, everything is double to triple what it was -- hence the price.

If we were actually influencing prices, it would be down -- as most of the conversation is about how silly and 'bubble-like' the market is at the moment. I actually get a sense that it might be plateauing.

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Mr. Underhill
Shirrif (Moderator)

27 Jul, 2021
2021-7-27 10:26:19 PM UTC

Stu wrote:

If we were actually influencing prices, it would be down -- as most of the conversation is about how silly and 'bubble-like' the market is at the moment. I actually get a sense that it might be plateauing.

That's a good point Stu. I hadn't thought about that. Trotter and onthetrail have made good points as well.

I also agree that keeping auctions private (not personally advertising) because you want to bid on them is a common practice, but getting upset that others post it is just silly IMO.

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Khamûl

28 Jul, 2021
2021-7-28 7:08:16 AM UTC

If the majority of collectors on here (& those who read comments here) are the secondary-market buyers of the items being bought (by big sellers) from these auction houses, then these sellers are going to have a hard time selling these acquisitions on, if the price paid at hammer is over-priced. What educated & informed buyer (intending to re-sell) would knowingly over-pay for an item at auction? If there are other people (not "real" collectors) out there with £50K to burn, then none of us on here are ever going to compete with that kind of buying power anyway. All other complaints about visibilty are sour grapes; people who wanted nobody to know so they could pick up the item in question for less than market value. It's a market. If there is no minimum threshold for competition then the price realised is itself not representative of market/real value, as nobody knew about the auction, nobody bidded, and the price is basically under-priced. Whoever thinks that a Tolkien signature would go un-noticed or that this could have been picked up for a few thousand is in a dream world. As Stu says, we literally trash-talk sellers' prices on here (& have done for years), so the opposite could easily be argued in terms of this sites influence on book prices.

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onthetrail
Home away from home

28 Jul, 2021
2021-7-28 11:06:20 AM UTC

I also agree with Stu that this site has as much negative impact on prices as it does the other way. And my points, to be clear, were not suggesting others should shout about items they are bidding on, just the rest of us shouldn't be included in keeping an auction off the radar to suppress prices.

Anyway, it is a silly notion frankly and one this sites members are not going to engage in so any further discussion on it is a waste of time in my opinion.

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laurel

28 Jul, 2021
2021-7-28 12:35:37 PM UTC

It’s a different opinion that’s all - what is silly to one isn’t to another !

I think it’s a good thing to have these threads to air views and we shouldn’t try to shut them down necessary.

Personally I think this site has less of an impact on prices now than it did say 5-10 years ago as the whole way we buy items has/is changing considerable with on line auctions etc

Finding and buying that ‘dream’ book is now a lot harder IMHO but we all dream I guess and some maybe see an auction which in fairness was advertised late and think they are in with a chance.
It’s frustrations that’s all and we have all been there on books we have missed out on ???

The good news is the next dream is just around
The corner - gives you longer to save for it as well ??

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onthetrail
Home away from home

28 Jul, 2021
2021-7-28 12:53:56 PM UTC

laurel wrote:
It’s a different opinion that’s all - what is silly to one isn’t to another !

Opinion is great, and we all like a good debate here, but coming here and suggesting the way the site conducts itself needs to change because it might harm that persons chances to snag an item is not only arrogant but also suggests that we should act in an eltist manner, squirreling away info until an auction has ended. I stand by my assessment on this one, it is a silly notion.

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Stu

28 Jul, 2021
2021-7-28 8:31:38 PM UTC

I think when a thing is a niche, a niche site like this might have an impact. Collecting Tolkien books (seriously) used to be somewhat niche, but that the moment everyone is at it (and looking for a haven for their money via some of the more expensive items). I doubt we have any meaningful impact, other than perhaps highlighting the odd bad deal or shady-looking edition. The auction-houses are already being scoured by anyone who is in the market.

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Trotter

31 Jul, 2021
2021-7-31 3:14:52 PM UTC

Discovery of Tolkien's signature sees copy of The Hobbit fly past auction estimate

Auctioneer Gemima Brettell was the one who discovered that the JRR Tolkien classic, submitted with a host of others after a house clearance, was in fact signed by the author.

Looking through the 1937 second impression of the Lord of the Rings forerunner she was astonished to see it bore the signature of the great man himself – instantly making it a hugely sought after version of the classic children's book.

The auction at Brettells in Newport took place on Tuesday and saw fierce competition for the book, with the final bid eventually seeing a British collector winning out for the price of £23,000, way past the estimate of £3,500.

She explained that it had been dropped off at the auction house by a dealer who does house clearances in South Wales, and had arrived with a number of other books.

Ms Brettell decided to put them in a special book sale for the weekly auction but then made the astounding discovery when searching through the contents.

She said she knew it was special, being an early version of the book, but had no idea what was awaiting inside.

She said: "I turned to the first or second page and it was signed – I almost fainted. I have never felt so star struck in my life. I have met some significant people but this just had me in awe."

Ms Brettell said they had been thrilled to see the demand for the book, added: "We expected it to make money, maybe a bit more than the estimate, but not £23,000. I think it is a record in terms of The Hobbit sold at auction in the UK."

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/lo ... he-hobbit-sold-for-23000/

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