Tolkien's pipe and case set to sell for thousands

JRR Tolkien's pipe and a briefcase used to carry around first drafts of The Hobbit are being sold at auction.

- TOM BEVAN

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe with some of the items to be auctioned, including Tolkien's Viking ship door knocker

(Tom Wren/SWNS)

The item is among a “treasure trove” of personal items belonging to the author expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The briefcase was owned and used by Tolkien during his time at Pembroke College in Oxford is alone is expected to sell for over £10,000.

Tolkien was a Fellow and the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke between 1925 and 1945, during which time he penned his first masterpiece, ‘The Hobbit.

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said: “To think that his first draft of The Hobbit could have been carried in this very case is remarkable.

“The case comes inscribed by Tolkien to the top with his initials, and his name and college to the inside.

“At first glance, it is just a simple briefcase. But this was probably used daily by Tolkien and every scuff, ink

It’s probably the most important briefcase in modern literature!

ANDREW STOWE