A charity shopper was stunned after coming across an edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit for just £2 - and quickly realised it's worth a lot, lot more15:58, 27 Jul 2026You really can't predict what you might come across when you walk into a charity shop, or any other vintage store, but if you're lucky, you might come across a bargain. Most charity shops have a section dedicated to books, with most being sold for just a pound or two each.‌While you're almost guaranteed to find various fiction books of different genres, you should start looking at the details of what's on offer before disregarding it. This is how one lucky shopper managed to come across an old second edition hardback version of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for just £2 - but quickly realised it could be worth far more.‌Taking to Reddit's dedicated forum for charity shop finds, they went on to ask if anyone had any idea of what the old hardcover book could be worth, as he showed the details of the publication.‌"Did I just find £2 gold??" they wrote in the post, as they showed a photo of the book - a green hardcover with black detailing.The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, the first novel set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, is a children's fantasy first published in 1937. It was later republished in 1961 with some revisions to bring it closer in line with The Lord of the Rings series.‌The series follows Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, uncle to The Lords of the Rings' Frodo, as he leaves his comfortable home in the Shire after Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves of Thorin's Company recruit him to steal treasure from a dragon.In a second post, the charity shopper went on to add a photo of the publication details, saying: "Pretty sure it's a second addition, there's a few coloured illustrations, the date goes to 1961. Does anyone know if this is rare or, worth anything?"I don't like selling things but money is very tight at the minute, like for everyone else. Anyone know?"‌1961 The Hobbit book value revealedPeople soon flocked to the comments to share their thoughts, as many had varying ideas of how much the book could be worth - but they all agreed it was a lot more than the £2 the shopper had paid for it.One person commented: "There's one the exact same edition as yours that has sold on eBay for £80 but it was in much worse condition from what I can see. There is another listed for £800 but that seems very overpriced."They went on to say: "I'd say without the dust jacket yours would sell for £200+ and possibly more. The good thing about Tolkien books is you can just list them as an auction and the book will reach it's value because there are so many collectors. Just make sure you put all the correct information in the title and description."Article continues below"The most recent 2nd edition, 13th impression sold on eBay without a dust jacket for £140, second most recent was £119.99. Yours appears to be in slightly better condition," a second user shared.Someone else went on to recommend: "You should get more than £2 for it. Perhaps find a specialist in rare books."I don't trust eBay prices - a listing price is not always what it sells for. You could get some quick cash if that's what you need."