Three books bearing J.R.R. Tolkien’s signature went to auction at Quire Auctions in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire on June 3 — and not a single bid was placed.
The volumes — The Hobbit, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King — came from the estate of the late Brenda Jocelyn Walden. Her parents, Kathleen and Henry George Walden, were personal friends with Tolkien and his wife Edith. The two families holidayed together at Bournemouth’s Hotel Miramar, reportedly Edith Tolkien’s favourite destination. Kathleen Walden knew the professor simply as “JRR.”
Each book contains a Tolkien signature that was cut from letters or postcards and pasted inside — a not uncommon practice among friends and family of the author, who rarely signed books for strangers. The Two Towers signature, estimated at £6,000–£8,000, was likely cut from a letter. The Return of the King signature was written on the back of a photograph or postcard depicting the Hotel Miramar. The Hobbit‘s signature (estimated £5,000–£7,000) had been coloured in by a child from the Walden family.
Together, the three volumes were expected to fetch between £17,000 and £23,000.
Caitlin Riley, director at Quire Auctions, called the result “shocking” and disappointing. “It’s a real shame, particularly when we know that the market and demand for Tolkien is on the up,” she told the Stroud News and Journal. The auction house says the books will be relisted in a future sale.
The lack of bids may reflect collector wariness about signatures cut from other documents and pasted in — a detail that can affect authentication and value. Still, with verified provenance linking the Waldens to the Tolkien family, the no-sale outcome caught the auction house off guard.
We’ll be watching to see whether the relisting draws interest — or whether the market has spoken.
Source: Stroud News and Journal, Times Now News
