The Longetivity of Hobbits.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Faramir Jones

This is what marked the One Ring out from being just an 'object'. If this was the case, why didn't Sauron just make a replacement 'object', instead of spending so much time looking for the original?

For one thing, Sauron had already put a great deal of his original power into the One Ring. Making something else and transferring more of his spiritual essence to it would have resulted in his further weakening.
Also, after losing the One (something he had never seriously considered likely when he made it) he would have been that much more wary of doing something like that again.

Originally Posted by Faramir Jones

This great age does raise an interesting issue. How was Gollum still so capable of both looking after himself and travelling despite being over 500 years old?

Two things kept him going. The Ring was still in existence, and he had his lust for it and his hate for whomever had it to sustain him.