A first edition of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit has sold for over £10,000.
The novel was found in Cancer Research UK’s Dundee superstore by shop manager Adam Carsley, and was then listed on eBay where it sold for £10,099.50.
“I opened the first page to see it was a first edition and thought it may be worthy of sending to the eBay team,” he said. “I thought we’d get a maximum of £500 if we were lucky so I couldn’t believe it when I heard a few months later it had sold for over £10,000.
“To my knowledge this is one of the most valuable items donated to our stores. Most definitely the highest price achieved on our eBay site for a single item,” he added.
The money raised from the sale will be used to support Cancer Research’s work into how to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
The novel is one of 1500 copies from the original run, and features illustrations by Tolkien.
The Hobbit was published in 1937, and tells the story of Bilbo Baggins. It was named ‘Most Important 20th-Century Novel (for Older Readers)’ in the Children’s Books of the Century poll carried out by US publication Books for Keeps.
Another first edition of the fantasy novel which contained an Elvish inscription written by Tolkien was sold at an auction in London for £137,000 in 2015.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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