Lot 93 · Valuable Books and Manuscripts
Autograph letter signed ('JRR Tolkien') to Michael Bell, [Poole], 25 January 1969.
![Catalog image of Autograph letter signed ('JRR Tolkien') to Michael Bell, [Poole], 25 January 1969.](https://www.christies.com/img/lotimages/2023/CKS/2023_CKS_21952_0093_000(tolkien_john_ronald_reuel_autograph_letter_signed_to_michael_bell_pool075555).jpg?mode=max)
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- Estimate
- £5,000–£8,000 hammer ≈ $6,455–$10,328
- Result
- Performance
- Sale
- Christie's — Valuable Books and Manuscripts, London · 12 July 2023
- Dimensions
- Two pages, 227 x 177mm (left-hand margin a little cockled). Envelope, postmarked 'Bournemouth-Poole'
- Record ID
- TB-2026-3344958
- Record
- first seen 28 Jul 2026 · updated 28 Jul 2026 · source ↗
- Cite this record
- TB-2026-3344958 — https://thebasis.art/cite/TB-2026-3344958
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. 1892-1973., Autograph letter signed ('JRR Tolkien') to Michael Bell, [Poole], 25 January 1969. Christie's, 12 Jul 2023, lot 93. bought in (did not sell). TheBasis.Art, TB-2026-3344958.
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Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. 1892-1973., Autograph letter signed ('JRR Tolkien') to Michael Bell, [Poole], 25 January 1969. Christie's, 12 Jul 2023, lot 93. bought in (did not sell). TheBasis.Art, TB-2026-3344958.
The citation omits the realized price because this record is not unlocked. Everything else in it is complete and permanent.
From the same sale Valuable Books and Manuscripts · Jul 2023
| Lot | Artist | Estimate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaticinia Pontificum , in Latin and Italian, 7 leaves from an illustr… | Pseudo-Joachim de Fiore (late 13th century) | £3,000–£5,000 | |
| Animal Farm , a collection of c.265 animation cels from the Halas and… | Halas and Batchelor studios (1940-1986) | £8,000–£12,000 | |
| On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection . London: John… | DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-1882) | £80,000–£120,000 | |
| A Collection of Etruscan, Greek and Roman Antiquities from the Cabine… | HAMILTON, Sir William (1730-1803) and Pierre François Hugues, Baron d'HANCARVILLE (1719-1805). | £70,000–£100,000 | |
| The British Herbal. London: printed for T. Osborne and J. Shipton and… | HILL, Sir John (1716?-1775) | £9,000–£12,000 | |
| The Divine Warrior Battling the Beast, and The Beast Cast into the Po… | Master of the Burckhardt-Wildt Apocalypse | £40,000–£60,000 |
Comparable results nearest sold works, same medium & price band
| Artist | Lot | vs. estimate | Result USD, incl. premium | Sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. 1892-1973. | Autograph letter signed ('JRR Tolkien') to Michael Bell, [Ox | $6,832 | Christie's, Jul 2023 | |
| Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. 1892-1973. | Typed letter signed (‘J.R.R. Tolkien’) to Miss Julie Cape, O | Christie's, Jul 2025 | ||
| Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. 1892-1973. | Autograph manuscript, diagrams of Old English phonology, not | Christie's, Jul 2024 | ||
| Einstein, Albert. 1879-1955. | ‘Über den Einfluß der Schwerkraft auf die Ausbreitung des Li | Christie's, Dec 2024 | ||
| Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. 1892-1973. | One page, 252 x 202mm. Provenance : by descent from the reci | Christie's, Jul 2023 | ||
| Einstein, Albert. 1879-1955. | Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist. Evanston, Illinois: | Bonhams, Nov 2021 | ||
| Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. 1892-1973. | [Lord of the Rings Trilogy]. Comprising: - The Fellowship of | Christie's, Dec 2025 | ||
| Giuseppe Verdi | don carlos grand opéra en cinq actes [vocal score], paris: | Sotheby's, Nov 2017 |
The closest sold results by price, artist, and medium — the appraiser's comp set, generated from the corpus. All figures converted to USD at current reference rates.