Lucky finds

Does it have dust-jackets?

I'm happy to double your money if you want to sell.

That's a very good purchase for £5

I bought all of these items on eBay for £20 (free postage), extremely poor listing, all first printings of these particular printings, with dust-jackets in case anyone asks.

http://web.archive.org/web/2007011110 ... _hobbit_-_1991-1998_2.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/2006091118 ... volumes_-_1991-1996_3.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/2007011110 ... volumes_-_1991-1996_4.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/2006091817 ... volumes_-_1991-1996_5.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/2007081814 ... t/html/silmarillion_5.htm

I was very pleased with "The Silmarillion", but getting these copies of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" was a bonus

Yes, all three volumes have intact dust jackets in very good condition considering they're almost 45 years old. I bought a similar set a couple of years ago of a later printing (1970) in not as good condition and paid significantly more for it.

My best three (Tolkien) lucky finds were:

1. (bookshop) Harper Collins Peoples of Middle Earth 1st ed hb d/j £5
2. (bookshop) Farmer Giles of Ham 2nd impression 1957 hb d/j 60p
3 (ebay) Folio Numbered Limited Edition 3-vol LOTR slipcased £75

Gawain- how on earth did you get number 3 on that list? Out of interest (and Im not making an offer) what would you do if someone offered you £500 for the set?

It was just sheer blind luck about 2 years ago. I happened to be loooking on ebay just as someone listed it as a buy-it-now for £75. I spent at least 10 minutes double checking the listing to make sure it was what I thought it was before buying it.

I joined Folio Society a few months later and discovered they still had a few of the limited numbered Silmarillion left for £100 (now sold out) so I bought one but am still looking for a Hobbit to complete the set. They won't be a matching set of numbers but that doesn't bother me.

As for selling it, I think (paradoxically) if i had paid £200+ for it I might consider selling but, as it is one of my best lucky finds, it has a certain sentimental value as well so will be staying on my bookshelf.

This is one of my best finds.

1st, 1st American edition of Farmer Giles of Ham very good + to near fine condition with dust jacket (same condition) for $15 buy it now on eBay.

The seller obviously didn't know what he was selling.

Well here's another one to list as a lucky find. I stumbled upon a 1972 unwin allen hard copy of The Hobbit in quite good shape (no dj however), and picked it up for $2. Made my morning!

Bit slow in posting here, but previous to a few days ago I hadn't really had any remarkable finds. But, I just bought (another) GA&U (staff copy) CT signed Silmarillion last week for £5! Seller, upon questioning, stated...

" The signature " Christopher Tolkein " appears on the first free end paper. The signature is clearly and neatly written. I can not guarentee, but I think it is likely, that the signature is actually an authentic signature of Christopher Tolkein, who is the editor of this first edition of the book which was published four years after the death of the author. Christopher Tolkein is, as far as I can deduce from the foreword, the son of the author.

Yes, I think he is J. R. R. Tolkien's son; & needless to say, Christopher didn't spell his surname incorrectly...

BH