TVTV NewsAntiques RoadshowBBC Antiques Roadshow expert Clive Farahar had a stark warning for one guest17:47, 24 May 2026A guest on the Antiques Roadshow was handed a stark warning by one of the show's experts.‌Expert Clive Farahar met a woman who brought a selection of old books from revered fantasy author J.R.R Tolkien onto the BBC show that had belonged to her late husband. The titles included The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Return of the King and The Two Towers.‌The titles were all signed by the late author himself, with one even featuring a mistake where Tolkien had written and then crossed out his own surname instead of the name of the person he was supposed to be addressing his message to.‌"They were bought for my late husband by his aunt and uncle who actually lived next-door-but-one to Tolkien when he lived down in Poole in Bournemouth and they got to know him, and when my husband was 16 they bought the books for him," the guest said as she shared how the books came into her possession."They are all actually signed presentation copies, now this is extraordinary," Clive gushed as he inspected the titles. "It's just incredible for an old man to take the time to do it for a neighbour."‌The guest revealed a buyer had previously offered her husband thousands for the books but they had never gone through with the sale due to his ill-health.While Clive said he was "cautious" to offer a valuation due to the fluctuating popularity of the signed titles, he still predicted they could bring in an eye-watering sum of £25,000 at auction."Price go very fashionably right up, and then they come down, then they go right up again," he said. "Prices in England tend to be lower than the prices in America, but a set like this, not first editions, late impressions and all this sort of thing, signed, I can quite see being marked £25,000."‌However, he was quick to issue the guest with a warning as her jaw dropped at the price. He added: "Don't get excited because as I say they're not hard prices. It's not money in your hand but it is the sort of price you'd expect to see."The guest said it was up to her stepchildren whether or not to sell the books given their "huge sentimental value." It prompted Clive to issue another warning saying: "I don't say leave it too long if you're going to cash them in, because you know, fashions change and so much fashion will change with these books as well."Article continues belowThe repeat episode will air tonight (May 24) at 7.15pm on BBC One. It was filmed at the Firstsite art gallery in Colchester, and also features the valuations of a 17th-century amulet and porcelain plaque discovered buried in a box bought at auction.Antiques Roadshow airs Sunday nights on BBC One with episodes also available to stream via BBC iPlayer.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Antiques RoadshowBBCJ.R.R. Tolkien