Precious! Ultimate Guide to Lord of the Rings Autographs
When Peter Jackson translated the classic story, The Lord of the Rings to film, he created an epic that will likely last the test of time and become a classic in its own right. Many would argue the films already are classics. Between 2001 and 2004, Topps produced several sets of Lord of the Rings trading cards. These sets have made Lord of the Rings autographs attainable for all collectors.
Of the ten total sets Topps made for the franchise, six came with actor and crew autographs. Individually, many of these sets had stellar lineups of key actors and characters. Put together, the checklist is one of the most impressive ever produced.
Among those with at least one certified Lord of the Rings autographed trading card are Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving. And that's just a start.
Adding to the appeal is the look of the cards. All Topps Lord of the Rings autographs come on-card. Most stick with a consistent design appropriate for the films with the center of the ring acting as the signing space. The only autographs that deviate from this are those found in 2004 Lord of the Rings Trilogy Chrome.
We have broken down the checklists for all of the Topps Lord of the Rings trading card sets and compiled this comprehensive autograph guide. Organized by actor, it includes all of the different cards they signed.
You can shop for cards by clicking on the actors name. Depending on rarity and set, prices for individual actors can have quite a range. However, most remain extremely affordable. That said, the supply has long since dried up making some cards tough to come by today.
 Lord of the Rings Autograph Guide
Autograph cards come from the following sets:
- 2001 Topps Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (FotR)
- 2002 Topps Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (TT)
- 2003 Topps Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Collector's Update
- 2003 Topps Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (RotK)
- 2004 Topps Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Collector's Update
- 2004 Topps Lord of the Rings Trilogy Chrome
Noel Appleby as Everard Proudfoot
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Sean Astin as Sam
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
Sala Baker as Morannon Orc
- 2004 Topps LotR RotK Collector's Update
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome - as Sauron
Sean Bean as Boromir
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR - UK packs
- 2003 Topps LotR TT Collector's Update
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR - Retail
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
Billy Boyd as Pippin
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Bernard Hill as Théoden
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK - Black Ink
- 2003 Topps Lotr RotK - Blue Ink
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Sir Ian Holm as Bilbo
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Bruce Hopkins as Gamling
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Peter Jackson - Director
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2004 Topps LotR RotK Collector's Update
Christopher Lee as Saruman
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR - Retail
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
Lawrence Makoare as The Witch-King
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
Bret McKenzie as Figwit
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Dominic Monaghan as Merry
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR - Retail
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
- 2003 Topps LotR TT Collector's Update
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome - as King Elessar
John Noble as Denethor
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Mark Ordesky - Executive Producer
- 2004 Topps Lotr RotK Collector's Update
Miranda Otto as Éowyn
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
Craig Parker as Haldir
- 2002 Topps LotR TT - Case Topper
John Rhys-Davies as Gimli
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
Andy Serkis as Gollum
- 2003 Topps LotR TT Collector's Update
- 2003 Topps Lotr RotK
Richard Taylor - Weta
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
Liv Tyler as Arwen
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Karl Urban as Éomer
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Stephen Ure as Gorbag
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Hugo Weaving as Elrond
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR - Retail
David Wenham as Faramir
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
- 2003 Topps LotR RotK
- 2004 Topps LotR Trilogy Chrome
Elijah Wood as Frodo
- 2001 Topps LotR FotR
- 2002 Topps LotR TT
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Stephen C
I’ve seen an emergence of black/dark ink variations of multiple cards on eBay over the last year or so (since I’ve gotten back into trying to complete the autograph set). Do you know if they are considered a SP or just random change of pen? Or (perish the thought) forgeries of some kind? Have ended up with two thus far but still aiming for the traditional blue ink versions.