I honestly do not know if I would, assuming I had more than enough money to burn. Then again, if you were a hardcore collector of everything that can be related to one of the greatest fantasy authors that has ever walked this earth, then I suppose GBP 1,700 is not that big of a price to pay for something handwritten by Tolkien.
The handwritten letter – more of a note, actually – was discovered by the people who sold it when a piece of paper dropped out of a book. And no, the book was not written by Tolkien. They were surprised at what was written on the paper, as it was a handwritten account of a bad holiday experience of Tolkien and his wife. In the letter, Tolkien complains of a disastrous holiday which cost them a lot, and which the couple found disgusting.
The letter is addressed to unknown people, with only the salutation “My Dear People,” giving any clue (if that can be considered a clue at all) regarding their identity. The people who discovered the letter have no connection whatsoever to Tolkien or his family, so the letter is totally surrounded by mystery. I suppose that has upped its value as well.
I am not the only person surprised at how much the letter sold for. Even the people who auctioned off the letter were expecting only less than one fourth of the resulting selling price! As can be expected, the current owner of the letter is an unknown entity.
Via The Telegraph