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diedye
Grey Havens
Jul 8 2008, 12:20pm
Post #1 of 24
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Some people have all the luck...
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From 24dash.com...
Demolition worker celebrating after postcard find at Tolkien's former home  Demolition worker celebrating after postcard find at Tolkien's former home A demolition worker was celebrating today after stumbling across a postcard sent to author JRR Tolkien hidden behind a fireplace in his former home.  Stephen Malton made the discovery while unscrewing the fireplace at The Lord of the Rings author's bungalow in Poole, Dorset, as the bulldozers moved in. He is hoping for a windfall after his research on the internet showed another tiled fireplace surround from Tolkien's Oxford home for sale at 250,000 US dollars (£126,593), and he estimates the postcard is worth around £140,000. The 42-year-old said a collector in Belgium, called The Tolkien Library, had offered 500,000 US dollars (£253,186) for the postcard and the fireplace. He is hoping to sell the fireplace, postcard, a bronze fairy and stone gryphon which were found in the garden, at auction at a later date. Mr Malton, who owns Bournemouth-based ProDem Demolition, said: "I've been in demolition most of my life. I have been doing this for 15 years, my father did it for 40 years before me. "All of a sudden for this to land in your lap is just quite unbelievable." Fans of the author, whose full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, are upset at the demolition of the historic three-bedroom bungalow on Lakeside Road where Tolkien retired with his wife Edith in 1968. He moved to Oxford in 1972 after she died and sold the house for £23,000 to Stephen Frankel who put it on the market for £1 million in 2006. [..]He said: "You could have knocked me down with a feather. "To find something with the Tolkien name on it is quite amazing. "We have looked under the floors, if we find a Hobbit that will be the icing on the cake." The postcard is dated 1968 and addressed to the author at the Miramar Hotel, Bournemouth, where he and his wife spent many holidays. It depicts a landscape in Cork, Ireland, and is signed "Lin", which Mr Malton believes to be fantasy author Lin Carter, who wrote A Look Behind the Lord of the Rings, published a year later in 1969. It mentions seascapes and hedgerows, walking and driving in the countryside. It reads: "I have been thinking of you a lot and hope everything has gone as well as could be expected in the most difficult circumstances." [..]
You can find more info here.
Lucky ba... uh... fella.
Nice fireplace... not too crazy about the green marble, though.
I wonder what the "difficult circumstances" were... but I guess that's private.
(This post was edited by diedye on Jul 8 2008, 12:26pm)
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calisuri
PTB
Jul 8 2008, 1:12pm
Post #2 of 24
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The same person emailed us a few weeks ago about this demolition and now the discovery of the card.
You never know if someone is telling the truth - so i referred them to check with the Tolkien estate to make sure they were doing things legally! :)
The Mysterious Calisuri
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a.s.
Valinor
Jul 8 2008, 4:12pm
Post #3 of 24
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What a dream come true, to stumble upon that while you were ripping out the fireplace you expected to auction off as Tolkien trivia anyway! No, I am not jealous or petty. Uh-uh.
Besides, no one is asking me to demolish anything.
Cool story!
a.s.
"an seileachan"
Pooh began to feel a little more comfortable, because when you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.
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Beren
Bree
Jul 8 2008, 4:28pm
Post #4 of 24
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And I am the guy quoted in that article... the Belgium Tolkien enthousiast. But so far as I am aware I never made any such offer. Of course I'm interested in the postcard, the fireplace and all the other stuff, still I believe the offer mentioned is a bit crazy. I'm going to have to see what happens next, but if the media always reports like this I think i'm going to have to rethink about how much about they tell is actually true.
i'm indeed involved in the findings and am indeed going to help selling the fireplace, but that is about it.
'It is fulfilled. Even now a Silmaril is in my hand.' - tolkienlibrary.com
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jul 8 2008, 4:53pm
Post #5 of 24
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I'm just glad it was found by someone who relizes what a treasure it is! We could have had a neat-freak that would have tossed it with the other demo litter. *spasm*
"Barney Snow was here." ~Hug like a hobbit!~ "In my heaven..."
TORn's Observations Lists
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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jul 8 2008, 6:38pm
Post #6 of 24
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Surely postcard and fireplace belong to whoever it is that wanted the house demolishing, rather than the demolisher?
Still, a lucky find indeed.
Figwit Still Lives!
Calling for a Figwit cameo in The Hobbit since May 2008
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jul 8 2008, 7:27pm
Post #7 of 24
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on the demolition contract. It's quite common in NZ for a demolition company to own the material that is removed - it's another income stream for them (particularly when a building has good-quality wood and fittings that can be on-sold to home renovators), and it takes the cost of removing the rubble off the property owner.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded b*****d with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Ataahua's stories
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leo
Rohan
Jul 8 2008, 8:14pm
Post #8 of 24
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If that postcard is going to be worth that much...
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I would turn that house upside down and sell everything I would find ;-)
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FantasyFan
Rohan
Jul 8 2008, 8:14pm
Post #9 of 24
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"We have looked under the floors...
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if we find a Hobbit that will be the icing on the cake."
If they find a hobbit, he'd probably be eating the cake. No seriously, if they find a hobbit, it would be worth a lot more than a postcard. As a matter of fact, if they find a hobbit, we'd know JRRT's sources for the red bood for sure at last. I bet a lot of people would pay good money to talk to the hobbit. I know I would!
"That is one thing that Men call 'hope.' Amdir we call it, 'looking up.' But there is another which is founded deeper. Estel we call it, that is 'trust.' It is not defeated by the ways of the world, for it does not come from experience, but from our nature and First Being. If we are indeed the Eruhin, the Children of the One, then He will not suffer Himself to be deprived of His own, not by any enemy, not even by ourselves. This is the last foundation of estel, which we keep even when we contemplate the End. Of all His designs the issue must be for His children's joy."
Finrod, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, HoME X Morgoth's Ring
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hatster
Rohan
Jul 8 2008, 9:17pm
Post #10 of 24
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well good luck on your decisions about the sale and purchase
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And Welcome to TORn if I've not said it already.
[edited to say.. opps see you've been here since February  )
The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.
(This post was edited by hatster on Jul 8 2008, 9:19pm)
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Beren
Bree
Jul 8 2008, 11:45pm
Post #11 of 24
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And here is your chance to own a piece of Tolkien history!
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http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/838-Own_a_Piece_of_Tolkien_History.php
I have been thinking and re-thinking this matter, but finally decided that all Tolkien fans should be able to have a chance to own a piece of Tolkien history. So there you go... I have listed the items in my store.
'It is fulfilled. Even now a Silmaril is in my hand.' - tolkienlibrary.com
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Patty
Immortal
Jul 9 2008, 12:26am
Post #12 of 24
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back to the family. Now, there's a thought.
Hanging out with the Lonely Isle elves.
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Kelvarhin
Half-elven
Jul 9 2008, 2:48am
Post #13 of 24
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Why would anyone buy Tolkiens' house, just to knock it down!!! Couldn't see any of us doing that. Renovate, yes, demolish, no.
And then open it to the public 
Valinor, O Valinor
Andavë yányë hyarya
Tumna yá nyèna minya fëa
An Valinor, lissë Eldamar
Kelvarhin's Universe
In the land of TORnadoes...where the brilliant play (with thanks to grammaboodawg :) )
Is TORn...Is Good
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Kelvarhin
Half-elven
Jul 9 2008, 2:57am
Post #14 of 24
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Unfortunately with all those pounds signs flashing before his eyes, can't see it happening 
Valinor, O Valinor
Andavë yányë hyarya
Tumna yá nyèna minya fëa
An Valinor, lissë Eldamar
Kelvarhin's Universe
In the land of TORnadoes...where the brilliant play (with thanks to grammaboodawg :) )
Is TORn...Is Good
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Kelvarhin
Half-elven
Jul 9 2008, 2:59am
Post #15 of 24
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Valinor, O Valinor
Andavë yányë hyarya
Tumna yá nyèna minya fëa
An Valinor, lissë Eldamar
Kelvarhin's Universe
In the land of TORnadoes...where the brilliant play (with thanks to grammaboodawg :) )
Is TORn...Is Good
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diedye
Grey Havens
Jul 9 2008, 12:32pm
Post #16 of 24
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Before or after making a few zillion copies to sell on eBay?...
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overlithe64
Rivendell
Jul 9 2008, 1:46pm
Post #17 of 24
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With unlimited funds I could be the happiest person in the world....oh well, I'll have to settle on looking longingly. You're store is amazing.!!
congrats on your recent acquisitions.
I am obsessed, but I am in excellent company.
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Beren
Bree
Jul 9 2008, 1:53pm
Post #18 of 24
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O ... i'm in the same position as you! These are not mine (except the chandelier, which I bought some time earlier). I don't have such funds, nor do I think I will ever spend any such amount on these items.
I'd love to have these items in my house of course, but they are too expensive for me. I just listed them up for sale and am in the same position as you all. I can watch the pictures and hope one day to have unlimited funds, but so far that is not the case.
Somehow the 'builder' or 'demolisher' spread the rumour that I was trying to buy the fireplace and postcard for an incredible amount. But that is not true and is a false story. Wished I had such funds to spent on Tolkien, but if I had such funds I'd rather spent it to renovate my house and my family. Although it is clear that owning a fireplace from Tolkien's house would be a dream for me; I believe it will stay that way!
'It is fulfilled. Even now a Silmaril is in my hand.' - tolkienlibrary.com
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jul 9 2008, 2:14pm
Post #19 of 24
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isn't it? So close, but SO FAR AWAY!! Cha-ching!
Thanks for sharing, though. *sigh*
"Barney Snow was here." ~Hug like a hobbit!~ "In my heaven..."
TORn's Observations Lists
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overlithe64
Rivendell
Jul 9 2008, 3:31pm
Post #20 of 24
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my mistake....and don't we all wish for unlimited funding for our passions....I'd quickly run out of storage places. But the first thing I think I would do....would be take a month or two and REALLY see New Zealand...The week I spent there was magical of course...(esp. since it was during the ROTK premiere) but I had little time to do it justice.....sigh for the need of time and money.
I am obsessed, but I am in excellent company.
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Beren
Bree
Jul 9 2008, 5:06pm
Post #21 of 24
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if we all had unlimited funding and could buy any Tolkien we liked, where would the fun of collecting be?
Well the most important I believe in this case is that some items were safed from the house and will be preserved... I truly wish they end up in a good home and maybe... but that would be my personal dream... be put in a place where 'all' Tolkien collectors can enjoy it.
The big problems with us collectors (like myself) is that we collect for our own pleasure and tend to keep our treasures behind closed doors (a bit like smaug on a pile of gold)... luckily we can talk about collecting on the internet and open some doors up in that way, but still it is something that all collectors have in them.
i'm grateful the 'builder' did strip the house before demolishing it... on the other hand it would have been better if I had not to list these items on my website and they were better been donated to for example the Bodleian Library. But that is how things go I suppose...
'It is fulfilled. Even now a Silmaril is in my hand.' - tolkienlibrary.com
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Maddydahobbit
Registered User
Jul 10 2008, 1:42pm
Post #22 of 24
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(as posted on my LJ)
Ok, am I the only one that finds it sad that they are bull-dosing his house down and that guy is totally counting every penny he's going to make off the card and the fireplace?
Is that not against every single thing that Tolkien himself was about??
Its exactually what he said was going to happen when he wrote the hobbit! Every single one of his points on the distruction is happening, and whats worse???
They are TOTALLY taking down his house to make room for new housing COMPLEXES...
I don't agree with this at all, who cares about the postcard and all the money he's going to make, thats so greedy.
-M
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Beren
Bree
Jul 10 2008, 2:00pm
Post #23 of 24
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but we were aware of that sad news
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I believe I first read about the house being demolished more then a year ago... the plans for the new houses were aproved in late 2007.
It is sad, but true...
Luckily some houses Tolkien lived in will remain, while others have been demolished a long time ago.
But you have to agree. If the house gets demolished, why not try and preserve some of the Tolkien points? But I agree the asking price for the objects is high, on the other hand, who of us would not like to have a fireplace which ones was used by Tolkien to heat his main living room?
'It is fulfilled. Even now a Silmaril is in my hand.' - tolkienlibrary.com
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Daughter of Nienna
Grey Havens
Jul 11 2008, 3:04am
Post #24 of 24
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I just opened an email from a frien of mine on the mainland... it was a link to this article:
http://news.yahoo.com/.../tolkien_postcard_dc
got it 2 days ago, just opened it. Came immediatel to TORn to see it its been post, nad sure enough.
The thought of Tolkien's house being demolished breaks my heart! How can this be! It should be turned into a museum. Sad, sad, sad...
It is an amazing story for this guy, though. An, like its been said above, lucky he had an idea what it meant and didn't just toss it.
**Tribute: Lt. J.G. Robert Sterling, WWII Pilot MIA, by Gramma & DoN**
Art Gallery Revised, Aloha & Mahalo, Websites Directory
Nienna: “ those who hearken to her learn pity, and endurance in hope . . . All those who wait in Mandos cry to her, for she brings strength to the spirit and turns sorrow to wisdom." — Valaquenta
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