This is the publishers slip for the 1st printing of LOTR Deluxe.

wheresrob wrote:

Taking that on board, and respectfully valuing your insight, as the box set edition of LOTR in the first photo does show the £100 marking, wouldn't that make it a 1st impression? Otherwise if all boxed set LOTRs are 2nds then the publishers slip is not able to determine the impression.

(The 2nd photo was a comparison with another sealed 50th anniversary edition to show the difference).

The 4 volumes boxset from 2008 is supposed to have only 2nd printings of the Lord of the rings, some might have had 3rd printings.
https://tolkienbooks.net/php/details2.php?id=1268

Based on the examples I've seen, some of friends copies and my own, I have never seen a 1st printing of the deluxe 2004 Lotr in that box set, but maybe there are some exceptions out there !
I'm sure about one thing though : the retail price on the publisher slip is only present for the 1st printing. (based on the 7 or 8 first printings and 4 second printings I had in hand)

It's remotely possible that the previous owner had swapped a 1st into the set. Stranger things have happened.

wheresrob wrote:

It's remotely possible that the previous owner had swapped a 1st into the set. Stranger things have happened.

I think this is the most likely scenario indeed.

I recall quite clearly that when advertised for sale, it mentioned that LotR wasn’t a first impression in the box. I have no proof of that but that’s what I remember.

Huan wrote:

I recall quite clearly that when advertised for sale, it mentioned that LotR wasn’t a first impression in the box. I have no proof of that but that’s what I remember.

The LotR had just shifted to its third print when this set was released, and these received a mixture of 2nds (a very small run) and 3rds (both of my boxed sets are 2nds). I've definitely read online of people swapping in a 1st print though. Whether that is the case here or whether the warehouse/binders happened to have a 1st hanging around is anyone's guess.

Having owned 3 copies of this box at home for a while, I can add that I have only seen 2nd printings of The Hobbit in my boxes.

Bergelmir wrote:

Having owned 3 copies of this box at home for a while, I can add that I have only seen 2nd printings of The Hobbit in my boxes.

You mean "Lord of the rings"

Emilien wrote:

Bergelmir wrote:

Having owned 3 copies of this box at home for a while, I can add that I have only seen 2nd printings of The Hobbit in my boxes.

You mean "Lord of the rings"

Yes, thx

Hello!

New member here.

Thank you all for sharing this info. I am a new collector, and found this super helpful.

Does anyone know if this info is transferable to the other "Deluxe" versions?

Trying to find 1st prints of other books might be easier if this info is transferable.

Thanks!