What Might J R R Tolkien's Fireplace Surround Be Worth?

Picture by Ron Brind

How on 'Middle Earth' do we put a value on such an item, any idea's members?

Well, it was an after thought....the 'Middle Earth' bit I mean! lol

You might have to correct me here Ron, but casting my mind back a few years ago, wasn't your own valuation of it $250,000   (if not £'s)  ?  

And there was a Chinese company considering making copies of it?

Have you since tried The Antiques Roadshow?   

Hi Paul. Yes I did 'value it' at $250k (what a memory) even advertised it on ebay where 2700 people looked at it, but obviously nothing came of it.

Bottom line is I have had interest from China but not sure I could trust the source, so it remains with us. There is also an interested party in Boston and one in England but where does one start with the value of such an item?

I guess the reality is, it is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it, perhaps someone with a particular interest in Tolkien. The fact is it's original, and can only be copied.

And no I haven't been in touch with the Antiques Roadshow, not exactly something that you could put in your carrier bag on the offchance is it?

That is a beautiful piece of history, Ron! How wonderful would it be to own it and sit in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter's evening with a cup of tea and reading Lord of the Rings. :-)

Paul has a good idea though. I thought that The Antique Road Show would send someone to you if your item was too large to take to them? Supposing the item was worth their time of course.

The best option would be to find a private buyer. I am surprised that their were no takers on Ebay. You would think some wealthy die-hard Tolkienian would snap it up!

Sue said yes, but couldn't carry it home! lol

Trust you are well my friend?

Is it dated, stamped, and comes in it's own collector's box Ron?...just kidding. Maybe you need to add to it's "presentation" in some way...maybe an imbeded ring perhaps. Large prices need large money spent on them. There are yearly added antique shows that travel city conventions over here...maybe contacting one of them with pictures could help you? Street of Dream houses also, maybe they would like to use it in an house presentation. Wedding gift to Prince Wiliam and Kate? Just some out of the box thinking perhaps.