"The Most Expensive Tolkien Book in the World"
21 Dec, 2008
(edited)
2008-12-21 6:09:05 PM UTC
2008-12-21 6:09:05 PM UTC
GTC Roadshow has put out a press release to announce the acquisition of all of the Tolkien related lots from the Profiles in History auction a week ago. Their announcement is included at the end of this post.
The first interesting point from the release (already being discussed in the TCG forums here) are that GTC appears to have unlimited funds to acquire Tolkien books and ephemera, to the point where they are bragging about how much they have spent (for example, the title of the press release and this post). Clearly they are a relative newcomer to the Tolkien collecting field, as the Giffiths set of The Lord of the Rings was just sold by Bonhams for £31,070 in February of 2004*, so somebody just doubled their investment by holding these books for four years. Since at least one other bidder was interested in buying these books at this price level, I think the market for truly rare Tolkien items is not affected by the economic downturn at all. And, GTC promises to keep these rarities avaiable for public view, rather than letting them be locked away in private collections.
The other interesting point from the release is a mention of the GTC Fellowship, a Tolkien collecting society. Little information is available on this so far, but it could be quite interesting, or it could be very commercial - really depends on how it is set up.
Original Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE ANNOUNCEMENT
The most expensive Tolkien book in the world
GTC Roadshow AG announces the acquisition of the most expensive Tolkien book ever sold; a signed first edition of The Lord of the Rings dedicated to the "Queen of the Hobbits", for $104,000. A further 5 lots were acquired in the same auction: the first translation of The Hobbit dedicated to E. Griffiths, a signed US first edition of The Lord of the Rings, Pauline Baynes’ original art, a signed map of Middle-earth and a book dedicated to Tolkien’s son Michael.
The pieces will add to the largest Tolkien collection ever compiled and will be offered to the public in a unique exhibition.
Tolkien collecting has evolved well beyond books into a wide variety of interpretations of Middle-earth, culminating in the Peter Jackson films and the upcoming Hobbit movies. The collection contains thousands of pieces, which represent a popular culture that has grown up around collecting Tolkien.
Mark Faith of GTC said: "an exhibition of this caliber is been long in coming in the hearts of the Tolkien community and it is our mission that the general public sees the unique pieces, which normally are hoarded in private collections. This Tolkien exhibition is for the people and created by people who love Tolkien." He also said that as part of the exhibition project GTC is forming the GTC Fellowship, a Tolkien collecting society.
The acquired Lord of the Rings will be another highlight of the show after recently acquiring the signed first edition of The Hobbit. Mark Faith said: "It was so expensive because it is a truly unique set. In volume one Tolkien has penned 'Elainen tarin Periandion ar meldenya anyaran' (to Elaine, Queen of Hobbits and my very old friend). It belonged to Elaine Griffiths, a student of Tolkien, who was instrumental in encouraging Tolkien to get The Hobbit published. It is a true rarity to find the trilogy all signed by Tolkien, even more so with his inscription in Elvish".
The GTC Roadshow AG is also opening this opportunity to outside investors and sponsors, as it is too important a project. For more information contact:
GTC Roadshow AG (UK)
Mr Mark Faith
*Beyond Bree, April 2004.
The first interesting point from the release (already being discussed in the TCG forums here) are that GTC appears to have unlimited funds to acquire Tolkien books and ephemera, to the point where they are bragging about how much they have spent (for example, the title of the press release and this post). Clearly they are a relative newcomer to the Tolkien collecting field, as the Giffiths set of The Lord of the Rings was just sold by Bonhams for £31,070 in February of 2004*, so somebody just doubled their investment by holding these books for four years. Since at least one other bidder was interested in buying these books at this price level, I think the market for truly rare Tolkien items is not affected by the economic downturn at all. And, GTC promises to keep these rarities avaiable for public view, rather than letting them be locked away in private collections.
The other interesting point from the release is a mention of the GTC Fellowship, a Tolkien collecting society. Little information is available on this so far, but it could be quite interesting, or it could be very commercial - really depends on how it is set up.
Original Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE ANNOUNCEMENT
The most expensive Tolkien book in the world
GTC Roadshow AG announces the acquisition of the most expensive Tolkien book ever sold; a signed first edition of The Lord of the Rings dedicated to the "Queen of the Hobbits", for $104,000. A further 5 lots were acquired in the same auction: the first translation of The Hobbit dedicated to E. Griffiths, a signed US first edition of The Lord of the Rings, Pauline Baynes’ original art, a signed map of Middle-earth and a book dedicated to Tolkien’s son Michael.
The pieces will add to the largest Tolkien collection ever compiled and will be offered to the public in a unique exhibition.
Tolkien collecting has evolved well beyond books into a wide variety of interpretations of Middle-earth, culminating in the Peter Jackson films and the upcoming Hobbit movies. The collection contains thousands of pieces, which represent a popular culture that has grown up around collecting Tolkien.
Mark Faith of GTC said: "an exhibition of this caliber is been long in coming in the hearts of the Tolkien community and it is our mission that the general public sees the unique pieces, which normally are hoarded in private collections. This Tolkien exhibition is for the people and created by people who love Tolkien." He also said that as part of the exhibition project GTC is forming the GTC Fellowship, a Tolkien collecting society.
The acquired Lord of the Rings will be another highlight of the show after recently acquiring the signed first edition of The Hobbit. Mark Faith said: "It was so expensive because it is a truly unique set. In volume one Tolkien has penned 'Elainen tarin Periandion ar meldenya anyaran' (to Elaine, Queen of Hobbits and my very old friend). It belonged to Elaine Griffiths, a student of Tolkien, who was instrumental in encouraging Tolkien to get The Hobbit published. It is a true rarity to find the trilogy all signed by Tolkien, even more so with his inscription in Elvish".
The GTC Roadshow AG is also opening this opportunity to outside investors and sponsors, as it is too important a project. For more information contact:
GTC Roadshow AG (UK)
Mr Mark Faith
*Beyond Bree, April 2004.
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