1954-1955 First Edition, First Issue of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

$29,000
Initial Offering Marketing Cap
$29
Initial Offering Share Price
#LOTR
Ticker
06/2020
Initial Offering Date

When J.R.R. Tolkien published The Lord of the Rings in 1954, his publisher worried such “high fantasy” would not sell and insisted it be printed in three volumes to minimize printing costs. Rally’s #LOTR offering contains First Edition, First Impression copies of each of the three volumes of the Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. With less than 3,000, 3,250 and 7,000 copies, respectively, this is a rare chance to invest in the earliest iteration of the fabled franchise.

#LOTR Gallery

“When the time comes to look back at the century, it seems very likely that future literary historians, detached from the squabbles of our present, will see as its most representative and distinctive works books like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.”

— T.A. Shippey, The New York Times

#LOTR Timeline

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is born in modern-day South Africa.

Jan. 1892
Tolkien enlists as a second lieutenant in the British Army during World War I.

Jul. 1915
Tolkien publishes The Hobbit or There and Back Again to widespread critical acclaim, prompting the publisher to request a sequel.

Sep. 1937
The first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, is published in the U.K by George Allen & Unwin. Only 3,000 copies of the first edition are printed.

Jul. 1954
The Two Towers, the second volume of the trilogy, is published with 3,240 copies printed.

Nov. 1954
The third and final book of The Lord of the Rings series, The Return of the King, is published. 7,000 copies are printed in the first issue.

Oct. 1955
The Lord of the Rings is awarded the International Fantasy Award.

Jan. 1957
Tolkien earns the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

Mar. 1972
Tolkien passes away at age 81 in Bournemouth, England.

Sep. 1973
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring, directed by Peter Jackson, premieres.

Dec. 2001
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers premieres.

Dec. 2002
BBC declares The Lord of the Rings as Britain's best-loved novel of all time, besting legendary works including Nineteen Eighty-Four and Great Expectations.

Apr. 2003
The Return of the King movie premieres. The film eventually grosses over $1 billion at the box office and wins 5 Golden Globes, 2 Grammys and 11 Academy Awards.

Dec. 2003
A copy of The Lord of the inscribed by J.R.R. Tolkien in Elvish to the “Queen of the Hobbits” is sold for a record $104,000.

Dec. 2008
Rally enters into an agreement to acquire #LOTR and offer it on the Rally platform.

Jan. 2020

#LOTR Details

Each copy has an original first impression dustjacket, with light toning to the spines and occasional trivial wear at their extremities. All three dustjackets are unrestored, unclipped, and show their original price. Similar sets of First Edition Lord of The Rings Trilogies have increased by over 5,000% since the 1980’s, with one most recently selling for $38,500 in 2020.

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Financials
Price Per Share	$29.00
Number of Shares	500
Market Cap.	$29,000.00
Storage Location	Rally

Asset Specifications
Title (Vol. 1)	The Fellowship of the Ring
Title (Vol. 2)	The Two Towers
Title (Vol. 3)	The Return of the King
Author	John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien
Edition (Vol. 1)	First Edition, First Impression, First State
Edition (Vol. 2)	First Edition, First Impression, First State
Edition (Vol. 3)	First Edition, First Impression, Second State
Publisher	George Allen & Unwin
Publication Date (Vol. 1)	July 29, 1954
Publication Date (Vol. 2)	November 11, 1954
Publication Date (Vol. 3)	October 20, 1955
Rarity (Vol. 1)	1 of 3,000
Rarity (Vol. 2)	1 of 3,250
Rarity (Vol. 3)	1 of 7,000
Binding	Hardcover
Book Condition	Unrestored
Dust Jacket	Original First Impression, Unrestored