The late Stu wrote:
Mr. Underhill wrote:
The late Stu wrote:
Meant to post this when I first saw it. Interesting because it is the Canadian version of the set (which I have never seen before)
Worth saying that, H/LoTR are CAN editions, but the S isn’t.
Good spot. I'd strongly suspect it started out that way. The boxed set had a period Canadian "Coles" bookstore label on it, so definitely a Canadian-issued set. Perhaps A&U had run out of Canadian Silmarillions when they were putting them together. I think the numbers of these sets is likely vanishingly small. I already have the UK one, so I didn't want another, mind. No room.
Yes, could be. Agreed that it is a Canadian set. I thought that someone could have put the S in later as it appeared to be unread and the others didn't, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I have the UK one as well (as well as the blue and green CAN boxes) and considered this one, as who knows when we'll ever see another. I just couldn't get over the sad state of the box(where all the value is) and the dealer's asking price.
SamwiseTheBrave wrote:
Overpriced but not all to common
Agree that it’s way overpriced, but I don’t think these are uncommon. They seem to come up for sale once every one or two months like clockwork. Probably because people seem willing to pay hundreds of dollars for them.
13 Aug, 2025
(edited)
2025-8-13 6:18:49 PM UTC
Edited by SamwiseTheBrave on 2025-8-13 6:24:46 PM UTC
2025-8-13 6:18:49 PM UTC
Mr. Underhill wrote:
SamwiseTheBrave wrote:
Overpriced but not all to common
Agree that it’s way overpriced, but I don’t think these are uncommon. They seem to come up for sale once every one or two months like clockwork. Probably because people seem willing to pay hundreds of dollars for them.
Right, that is more so what I meant. They do pop up but I would say it's not super common to see. I have seen 2 sales since mid-spring, seems like a pretty uncommon item but not necessarily a rare find.
Right, So, two sales since mid Spring would match, more or less what I said previously about how often they are appearing. Would depend on your definition of “not super common” and “rare find” not really quantifiable terms.
After many years of doing this, the time periods of absence from the market of an item to qualify as uncommon or rare (the two can mean anything you want) have expanded. I have found that most Tolkien items are not “rare” or “uncommon” and if one is willing to wait, almost everything will surface. IMO
I personally have shied away from using terms like these are they are so subjective.
That’s part of what makes collecting so enjoyable! Even the more elusive editions eventually surface, and that unpredictability really adds to the excitement of the chase.
You're absolutely right that terms like “rare” and “uncommon” are pretty subjective. This edition showing up 6–12 times a year doesn’t make it a unicorn—but it’s also not something that pops up every week. So while it might not be rare in the strictest sense, those gaps between listings can definitely make it a difficult find, especially if you're hoping to snag a good copy at a reasonable price.
In the end, I think that bit of uncertainty is what makes collecting so rewarding—waiting, spotting, and finally landing that one book you’ve been hunting for. Hopefully this listing helps someone fill a long-standing gap in their collection!
You're absolutely right that terms like “rare” and “uncommon” are pretty subjective. This edition showing up 6–12 times a year doesn’t make it a unicorn—but it’s also not something that pops up every week. So while it might not be rare in the strictest sense, those gaps between listings can definitely make it a difficult find, especially if you're hoping to snag a good copy at a reasonable price.
In the end, I think that bit of uncertainty is what makes collecting so rewarding—waiting, spotting, and finally landing that one book you’ve been hunting for. Hopefully this listing helps someone fill a long-standing gap in their collection!
13 Aug, 2025
(edited)
2025-8-13 7:18:09 PM UTC
Edited by Mr. Underhill on 2025-8-13 7:37:26 PM UTC
Edited by Mr. Underhill on 2025-8-13 7:59:28 PM UTC
Edited by Mr. Underhill on 2025-8-13 7:59:28 PM UTC
2025-8-13 7:18:09 PM UTC
SamwiseTheBrave wrote:
That’s part of what makes collecting so enjoyable! Even the more elusive editions eventually surface, and that unpredictability really adds to the excitement of the chase.
100% agree here, the unpredictability is part of the fun.
SamwiseTheBrave wrote:
You're absolutely right that terms like “rare” and “uncommon” are pretty subjective. This edition showing up 6–12 times a year doesn’t make it a unicorn—but it’s also not something that pops up every week. So while it might not be rare in the strictest sense, those gaps between listings can definitely make it a difficult find, especially if you're hoping to snag a good copy at a reasonable price.
Yes, all of these terms you have used in the last hour "rare, uncommon, unicorn, elusive, rare in the strictest sense" are very subjective and mean different things to different people, and like I said above I try not to use terms like this anymore as there is no agreed upon meaning. I would argue that "6-12 times a year"(your term) is not difficult to find in any sense, you just have a to wait a bit. The listing that you posted is a good copy, but not a reasonable price IMO.
SamwiseTheBrave wrote:
In the end, I think that bit of uncertainty is what makes collecting so rewarding—waiting, spotting, and finally landing that one book you’ve been hunting for. Hopefully this listing helps someone fill a long-standing gap in their collection!
Hopefully, and hopefully they don't overpay as they would be here IMO.
Also worth saying that this copy is a reprint, so not even a first.
I was actually messaging someone generally about the state of the Tolkien market, as they had asked me some questions, covering topics like rarity (and systematic manipulation of the market by a small number of parties -- but that's not for here).
This is what I wrote with this UT as an example:
"Where I see the market as being precarious is in the lower-end material. You will see relatively mundane paperbacks (such as the 2010 Unfinished Tales with the Blue Wizards cover) selling for hundreds of pounds, even though there are likely a lot of them in existence. That particular book had 4 prints, so is unlikely to be rare. I've seen this cycle for a few books, which seem uncommon for a while and then there are a lot of them. I just put it down to the fact that people don't buy a book and then sell it a couple of years later. It goes onto a shelf or into a cupboard and then doesn't come back into the world until there is a life changing event (moving house, leaving home, etc). That's often 20-30 years. I'd definitely make the observation that just because something doesn't come for sale often now, it is impossible to say that will be the case a decade from now.
Of course, there are books that genuinely do appear rare and enough time has passed to make that call. A good example being the 1st impression of the 1966 Unwin Paperbacks Hobbit. I only know of 12 copies (I have one of them, found by pure luck). I have no idea why there are so few, but they don't appear to be cycling back onto the market at this point. IF you can find one of these, it will cost less than the 2010 UT Blue Wizards paperback, which shows the irrationality of the market.
We have also seen older uncommon books turn out to be more common than we thought. The 1963/4 A&U Deluxe Lord of the Rings with the Baynes Slipcase is a really good example of this. 5 years ago, these were almost impossible to find, and the accepted wisdom was that there were very few survivors of the slipcase because of poor fit (they are mostly too small for the books to a varying degree, so undoubtedly many were damaged and/or discarded). Over the last few years, with elevated prices, we have seen quote a number of these slipcased sets turn up in the market (perhaps more than 10). Prices and condition are quite variable. I picked up a set with a really good slipcase about 3 years ago for £1,020. I know of similar sets selling for around £4000 and I've seen several with asking prices twice that (they don't sell).
That brings me onto the important distinction between asking and selling prices. There are ALWAYS sellers out there asking excessive prices for books. Never use asking prices as a guide -- the only thing that matters is what a book actually sold for. Also be wary of the prices being asked by "reputable" entities in the market . I have it on good authority that some of these take a 50% commission on books they sell on consignment. In other words, there is somebody willing to sell that exact same copy for half what is being asked. It is quite a corrupt market with vested interests talking it up because they make money from selling. Unfortunately some of these people started out as collectors and "honest", so no one really calls them out on it as they have transitioned from collectors to professional sellers."
FWIW, I paid 5 NZD (£2.20) for an NF copy of this UT about two months ago.
This is what I wrote with this UT as an example:
"Where I see the market as being precarious is in the lower-end material. You will see relatively mundane paperbacks (such as the 2010 Unfinished Tales with the Blue Wizards cover) selling for hundreds of pounds, even though there are likely a lot of them in existence. That particular book had 4 prints, so is unlikely to be rare. I've seen this cycle for a few books, which seem uncommon for a while and then there are a lot of them. I just put it down to the fact that people don't buy a book and then sell it a couple of years later. It goes onto a shelf or into a cupboard and then doesn't come back into the world until there is a life changing event (moving house, leaving home, etc). That's often 20-30 years. I'd definitely make the observation that just because something doesn't come for sale often now, it is impossible to say that will be the case a decade from now.
Of course, there are books that genuinely do appear rare and enough time has passed to make that call. A good example being the 1st impression of the 1966 Unwin Paperbacks Hobbit. I only know of 12 copies (I have one of them, found by pure luck). I have no idea why there are so few, but they don't appear to be cycling back onto the market at this point. IF you can find one of these, it will cost less than the 2010 UT Blue Wizards paperback, which shows the irrationality of the market.
We have also seen older uncommon books turn out to be more common than we thought. The 1963/4 A&U Deluxe Lord of the Rings with the Baynes Slipcase is a really good example of this. 5 years ago, these were almost impossible to find, and the accepted wisdom was that there were very few survivors of the slipcase because of poor fit (they are mostly too small for the books to a varying degree, so undoubtedly many were damaged and/or discarded). Over the last few years, with elevated prices, we have seen quote a number of these slipcased sets turn up in the market (perhaps more than 10). Prices and condition are quite variable. I picked up a set with a really good slipcase about 3 years ago for £1,020. I know of similar sets selling for around £4000 and I've seen several with asking prices twice that (they don't sell).
That brings me onto the important distinction between asking and selling prices. There are ALWAYS sellers out there asking excessive prices for books. Never use asking prices as a guide -- the only thing that matters is what a book actually sold for. Also be wary of the prices being asked by "reputable" entities in the market . I have it on good authority that some of these take a 50% commission on books they sell on consignment. In other words, there is somebody willing to sell that exact same copy for half what is being asked. It is quite a corrupt market with vested interests talking it up because they make money from selling. Unfortunately some of these people started out as collectors and "honest", so no one really calls them out on it as they have transitioned from collectors to professional sellers."
FWIW, I paid 5 NZD (£2.20) for an NF copy of this UT about two months ago.
The late Stu wrote:
Of course, there are books that genuinely do appear rare and enough time has passed to make that call. A good example being the 1st impression of the 1966 Unwin Paperbacks Hobbit. I only know of 12 copies (I have one of them, found by pure luck).
If Luck you call it 😉
The 1st Unwin PB Hobbit is a great example of an actual scarce (my term) item. With only tiny amount known to exist. Another great example that comes to mind is the Unwin Hyman 1987 Unfinished Tales, with as far as I’ve seen only a handful of copies known. Items like these would fall into this category IMO.
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