I'm sure someone here has taken notice of 1st Edition Silmarillion price stickers before (Khamûl, I"m looking at you), but I haven't really thought about it before. I've seen only two, both £5.95. In my picture, the one on the left is a 2nd impression and the one on the right is a 4th impression. However, my 5th impression has no sticker, just the printed price of £4.95. It could have been peeled off at some point but I see no evidence of that. I also have another 2nd impression with no sticker. Anyone seen anything different?
I've only ever seen examples of GA&U re-pricing 2nd & 4th impressions.
I don't have a re-priced 4th impression, but I understand some copies of (for example) The Silmarillion released in The Tolkien Library (1978) boxset were re-priced copies. The remaining copies I have seen have all been re-priced 2nd impressions; these were still in stock in the early 1990's when HC sold copies of the GA&U 2nd impression in HC John Howe jackets.
First increase was to £5.95. GA&U used various price stickers; some white; some cream; some with just "A&U"; some with (as you post) the full "GA&U". During the 1980's they made several price changes & I assume simply re-priced the 2nd impressions they had in stock. I have examples of £5.95 and £8.95; and later Unwin Hyman £11.95 and £13.99 price stickers.
I have a copy with the big blue sticker that you post. I believe I remember Trotter also posting an example of this sticker in use on a copy of TB. Not entirely clear of its precise use (he asked this question too) other than to cover the original price. Your copy has a price sticker, but its not clear if this is a publisher sticker or not. Could simple be a bookshop re-price under direction from the publisher.
You also have commonwealth copies (usually Clowes "export" copies) kicking around variously re-priced in $CAN and $AU. Interesting stuff...
I wonder if my copy of TB had two stickers, a blue one and white one, and the white sticker was peeled off by the original purchaser, that would explain why it is looks not to be priced.
I'm confused here. Trotter, your original thread talks about TB, but the scan you posted is labelled (i.e. your file name) FGoH. What was, TB or FGoH? I appear to have bought a copy of TB as the thread was running, which I have no memory of....
Yes, it looks like I made a mistake 9 years ago, the photo is from my copy of TB, but I also have a FGoH with a blue A&U sticker, so a possible excuse, but not a very good one
I am not that surprised that you got a copy of TB while the thread was on-going, I reopened the thread 3 years later.