Desk of J.R.R. Tolkien auctioned

A mid-Victorian roll-top mahogany and satinwood desk of Tolkien has attracted significant attention at a recent auction. Initially expected to sell for between £50,000 and £80,000, the desk fetched an impressive £330,200 (approximately $394,000) at Christie’s “Groundbreakers: Icons Of Our Time” auction on December 11, 2025.

The author used this significant piece of literary history during his tenure as Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford University from 1945 to 1959. During this time, he worked on the correspondence and proofing of The Lord of the Rings, and experts suggest that he likely used the desk during the final stages of its revision. Thais Hitchins, a junior specialist at Christie’s, hailed the desk as “one of the most important artifacts of Tolkien’s career,” noting that it remains the only one of his desks still in private hands.

Hitchins emphasized the desk’s pivotal importance, stating, “It connects the imaginative world of the early drafts with the formal apparatus of publication—proofs, galleys, correspondence, etc.” We know that Tolkien owned only two desks, making this one significant in his literary journey.

As it finds a new home, some hope that the desk of Tolkien will serve as a source of inspiration for future literary works, though none may ever match the beloved tales of Bilbo and Frodo that continue to resonate with readers around the world.