I had just run across one of these on eBay, but probably a bit pricey I think:

eBay Item #261813288785

Urulöké wrote:
I had just run across one of these on eBay, but probably a bit pricey I think:

eBay Item #261813288785

It is a lot of money for some slightly substandard (relative to the 1st impressions) Chinese reprints in a box (well, CoH and TftPR aren't reprints, but the others are). I can't believe there are many/any people willing to pay that amount of money. The 4 volume set seems to command much lower prices for something that is of a better quality.

I would like to see one of these offered as a true auction to determine its value, for now all sets seemed to be offered at a very high price asking for people to make offers. Stu have you seen the 4 box sets sell for much less than this?

Tapuvae wrote:
I would like to see one of these offered as a true auction to determine its value, for now all sets seemed to be offered at a very high price asking for people to make offers. Stu have you seen the 4 box sets sell for much less than this?

I'm fairly sure that have seen the 4-book set go in the 200-250 pounds range more than once in the last couple of years, but I haven't really been tracking them (as I already have them), more just noticing them as passing interest.

I can't see anyone really paying 700 pounds and those kinds of asking prices for the 5 book set. People just list hoping a sucker comes along and either pays them the asking price or offers them something in the region of the daft asking price. Remember, just because something is limited (and the 5 book set is quite rare), doesn't mean it intrinsically has any value. It is a bunch of reprints in a cheaply constructed box, and it is important to not lose sight of that! It was worth the asking price new, but it isn't worth hundreds of pounds, IMHO. Of course, your mileage may vary!

I would wait for a 4 book set to turn up at a reasonable asking price. There really isn't a shortage of the 4-book set. It may even have been printed twice (despite HarperCollins claiming it would be limited to 500 copies).

Patience is a virtue, with book collecting, and prices are often very faddy. History of Middle-Earth firsts are a great example -- they used to cost a lot a few years back, and now generally they cost much less than they did. People got bored and moved onto something else. There is just no reason for these boxed sets to be expensive - that first batch of 500 took a few years to sell out.