LordoftheRings001Discussion Forum member Ethel Duath recently posted a link to an article on slate.com regarding a simple answer to a simple question: why is The Lord of the Rings considered such a classic? Did I say a simple? Ernest W. Adams, who answered the question on Quora, considered it to be J.R.R. Tolkien’s development of languages and back-story for Middle-earth and each of its races. A great answer! But, is it that simple? No doubt we each have our opinions on the best answer, or answers, to that question. Why do you think The Lord of the Rings is such a classic?  Let us know in the article comments and/or weigh in on our poll. While you’re thinking about it, check out Mr. Adams’ reasoning in the slate.com article here.

tolkien_letter_close4Are you among the lucky few who possibly wrote to J.R.R. Tolkien when he was alive and received an answer, or somehow otherwise obtained an original letter by him? According to a U.S. Antiques Roadshow appraiser, it could be worth thousands of dollars today. At the Charleston, West Virginia, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW event in 2014, books and manuscripts expert Francis Wahlgren appraised a letter from Tolkien to William B. Ready, Director of libraries at Marquette University in Milwaukee. The owner of the letter inherited it some years ago and had it appraised in 1995 for $700. Wahlgren described Tolkien’s recent growth in popularity and determined that an appropriate auction value for the letter would be from $8,000 to $12,000, with an insurance estimate of $15,000. Visit pbs.org to read more.

hobbitbilboportraitalrg2If you loved the drawing of Young Bilbo from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, then now is the time for you to finally add this to your collection. Young Bilbo is fantastically priced at just US$14.99 and is in-stock, so it will ship to your door right away.

As a part of Weta Workshop’s Advent Calendar this great little art print can now be added to our growing Middle-earth collectibles. You can also, if you haven’t already,  enter their contest to win the King Thror on Throne statue, which would be one of the best Christmas presents you could win. Make sure you favorite the Advent Calendar as new items or contests will be announced daily!

 

 

 

 

Join us in Los Angeles in February at The One Last Party

one last party logo We’re hosting a Party of Special Magnificence next February — a final toast to all SIX movies, both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.

We’re inviting you to join us and make it happen through our Indiegogo campaign — so we can all celebrate Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies together!

Visit our campaign page and find out how you can help!

IMG_0714One of the stand-out collectibles previewed at Comic-Con 2014 was the new Balrog statue by Weta Workshop. This fantastic statue stands around 21″ tall and will be one of the premiere pieces of any Middle-earth fans collection. Our friends at Weta Workshop via the Shadow and Flame message board have released some information regarding when we can pre-order this attention grabbing piece. mark your calendars for September 22nd at 1pm PST so you can be sure to grab one of the 1500 pieces that will be created of the Balrog. No price has currently been announced, but once we have that information we will pass it on.

935410_10151402223201334_498251264_nOver the last few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Shaun Gunner, Chairman of The Tolkien Society.  We discussed what he thinks of the Peter Jackson films and where he sees the Tolkien Society heading to in the 21st Century.  And because he said he didn’t mind answering some silly questions, I just couldn’t resist putting grammaboodawg’s favourite question from our Getting to know you Q&A’s to him.

Continue reading “TORn talks to Shaun Gunner, Chairman of The Tolkien Society”

IMG_9873Nori the Dwarf recently arrived to join our collections and brings us to nine of the thirteen Dwarves in Thorin’s Company.

The character design for Nori is one of the most unqiue that Peter Jackson went with when creating these characters for The Hobbit Trilogy. Our friends at Weta Workshop have done a fantastic job of taking that look and turning it into a great 1:6th scale representation of the character played by Jed Brophy. Nori is a limited edition piece with an edition size of just 1000 pieces world wide and can be purchased right now for $250.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Nori the Dwarf Statue Review”