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Originally Posted by Sauron the White
As a solution perhaps he could be convinced to sing more bookplates over time, say a few hundred a month and make them available as needed selling just one or two to collectors. This would keep availability at a high level while keeping the scalpers at bay and keeping the price affordable. In addition to his fine work as editor and keeper of the flame, this would be a great service to his public.
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Possibly - though that would decrease the rarity value of signed copies. My own solution would have been for the books/bookplates to have been made available via the Publishers websites - either for direct sale or as prizes. As I said, the most annoying aspect of this is that if you happen to be in New York you can line up & pick a couple of signed editions off the shelf & if you live elsewhere you have virtually no chance - when did Big Apple residents become the 'chosen few' with special priority over the rest of us 'lesser' mortals?
However such a thing has happened before. At the 1992 Tolkien Centenary Conference in Oxford attendees were each given a cassette recording by Christopher Tolkien of 'The Homecoming of Beortnoth' which have never been made available elsewhere - but they at least went to serious fans (well to serious fans who could afford to attend a week long Tolkien Conference........). At the 2005 Conference we got a plastic pen with 'Tolkien 2005' on it.