A shop keeper in a cancer Research UK superstore stumbled across a first edition of The Hobbit which has now sold for over £10,000.
The rare book, illustrated in black and white by Tolkien himself and published in 1937, is just one of 1,500 copies.
Cancer Research UK’s superstores sell all items for £5 or less, so when this tantalising tome was found, it was immediately sent to the charity’s online marketplace team, who valued it and listed it on eBay.
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Cancer Research UK superstore manager Adam Carsley said: “I was at the Dundee Superstore just before it had opened, assisting with the training of new managers and the organisation of stock at the shop. “While there, I set to work in the backroom organising hundreds of books that were donated to us, to help make some space. While going through the books I began making three piles; sellable, recycling and collectables that might do well on our charity eBay marketplace. “As I picked up The Hobbit book, on first glance it looked as though it had been well looked after, but not really sellable on the shop floor due to its age. “I opened the first page to see it was a first edition and thought it may be worth sending to the eBay team. At first, I thought we’d get a maximum of £500 if we were lucky so I couldn’t believe it when I had heard a few months later it had sold for over £10,000.
“We get training and manuals to assist us with finding special items for our online marketplace, however I have also learnt a lot from our invaluable team of volunteers who specialise in different areas (books, jewellery, media, games) and in turn, train us.
“To my knowledge this is one of the most valuable items donated to one of our stores. Most definitely the highest price achieved on our eBay site for a single item.
“Donations like this help to fund lifesaving research across the whole of the UK. We always aim to get the best value for these donations, whether it be in one of our high street shops or online at one of our marketplaces (Depop, eBay, Versatile Collective, ASOS marketplace, Vinted).”
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and died in September 1973 in Bournemouth, Hampshire.
For most of his adult life, he taught English language and literature, specialising in old and middle English, at the universities of Leeds and Oxford.
Several polls have since 1996 have named his masterwork The Lord of the Rings the best book of the 20th century.
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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.
Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1
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