Is the box paper or vinyl ?

Wasn't this just selling for $800 in January? Lord have mercy. $1100 starting bid.

billhinge wrote:

The Hobbit First Deluxe Edition 1976 J R R Tolkien George Allen and Unwin

304826001984

Seller: jay1419

(181)

Ended Mar 8, 2023

This item ended more than 90 days ago

Is the box paper or vinyl ?

This is the vinyl variant box, not the textured paper you see on some variants of the '76 Deluxe. My copy is the vinyl variant and looks exactly like this.

Is the vinyl considered more rare, thus raising the price?

I thought paper was only the first, how do we ever know the tissue paper is genuine, carbon dating?

billhinge wrote:

I thought paper was only the first, how do we ever know the tissue paper is genuine, carbon dating?

There's some debate in the community about whether the vinyl box is a true '76 variant or if the textured paper box is the only originally issued box by GA&U. While we have only seen the textured paper box on the 1st print. We have seen many vinyl boxes with 1st prints as well as the re-prints starting in '79 onward.

Could be that GA&U made both kinds of boxes and issued 1st prints in '76 with both (my belief) or could be that a lot of dealers are assembling sets with later boxes and 1st print books, I think that's unlikely though based on observations over the years.

Ah OK, there is a dealer version thats been on sale for a while at £1450 with a paper box
Be interesting to see if this goes for more or less