Gondowe, the Tale of years of the Third Age says this:
Quote:
Throughout the Third Age the guardianship of the Three Rings was known only to those who possessed them. But at the end it became known that they had been held at first by the three greatest of the Eldar: Gil-galad. Galadriel and Círdan. Gil-galad before he died gave his ring to Elrond; Círdan later surrendered his to Mithrandir.
|
This note is very unspecific, and makes no mention of the exact order of time in which the rings were distributed. Therefore I think there is no actual contradiction, and instead there is only detail lost due to compression.