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WETA stops ebay auction of faux props - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

June 13, 2000 at 03:08:37

TheOneRing.Net is reporting that WETA learned of an auction on eBay where props from the "Lord of the Rings" production were allegedly be offered for sale to the highest bidder. In accordance with their policy, eBay stopped the auction immediately. TheOneRing.Net credits The Dominion with breaking the story.

According to LOTR producer Barrie Osborne, about 15 bids had been entered in the auction by the time eBay stopped the auction, with four hours to go on the deadline. All current props for the production are currently accounted for.

Sadly, Tolkien fandom has probably not seen the last of this sort of scam. Unscrupulous people do not need to use the large auction sites to conduct their own auctions. Beware of any unknown auction site URLs that may be announced in news groups, on message boards, and on mailing lists. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When and if WETA sells props, they most undoubtedly will do so in a fairly public way.