Lord of the Rings auction has $2.4m of props up for sale from trilogy Costumes from the series to be auctioned off in LA sale Prosthetic such as feet and ears also for available to fans Collection belongs to one Tolkien enthusiast who hoarded items Hobbit hero Frodo Baggins' ring and sword are among an incredible $2.4 million archive of props from the blockbuster Lord Of The Rings films set to go on for sale. Dozens of the most iconic costumes and props from the smash hit trilogy are up for grabs including Gandalf's staff, Sauron's helmet and Gimli's battle axe. Fans of the films, adapted from the 1954 book by British author J.R.R. Tolkein, can also get their hands on prosthetic hobbit ears and feet. One Ring to rule them all: The Ring, left, which was used in the filming of Peter Jackson's epic could be a precious buy for one fan. They will be sold along with some prosthetic ears, right, which were worn by the cast In character: Actors Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, left, and Sean Austin as Samwise Gamgee, right, show how the costumes looked in the final cut of the film Amazingly the props have been compiled by a Lord of the Rings enthusiast who has spent more than 10 years scouring the world for authentic memorabilia. His incredible collection has been described by experts as the best in the world. The Lord Of The Rings films starred Elijah Wood as Frodo, a hobbit charged with destroying an evil ring to ensure the future of a mystical land called Middle Earth. Sir Ian McKellen played wizard Gandalf, Orlando Bloom starred as Elven archer Legolas and Christopher Lee was evil Saruman. Following the release of the first of the Peter Jackson-directed films in 2001 the anonymous US collector began amassing props and costumes from its production company. A scale model of a Ringwaraith, left, prosthetic feet, top right and a Mordor Orc full head, bottom right, show just how varied the collection is. The pieces were collected by a single Lord Of The Rings enthusiast They spent four years filming the first trilogy during which time actors and film crew made life-long friendships. With this in mind, Jackson has insisted he only hired staff for the second set of films based around The Hobbit, if they were 'nice people'. Speaking at the Los Angeles premiere of the next Hobbit installment, The Desolation Of Smaug, the director said: 'We always wanted to cast nice people. Elven blade: This replica of Frodo's sword has dents from when Elijah Wood used it on set. It is the most expensive lot in the sale and could fetch $164,000 Famous feet: The four hobbits of the story famously had prosthetics like the ones above, attached every morning before filming Concerning Hobbits: The model of Sting, as given to Frodo by his uncle Bilbo, above, is one of the most expensive lots and is expected to fetch $164,000 You do become part of our family in New Zealand. 'It's hard to film for 18 months so you do try to cast people who can be there for the long haul and have the right spirit, and we had a fantastic cast.' The most expensive item in the collection is Frodo's sword 'Sting', an Elven blade which glows blue when danger is close, which is tipped to fetch $164,000. The sword is given to Frodo by his uncle Bilbo Baggins in the first Lord Of The Rings installment The Fellowship Of The Ring and used throughout all three films. Made from lightweight aluminium, it is engraved with Elvish insciptions and boasts dents from on-scene sword fights. Familiar faces: A leather headpiece, left, as worn by extras can be bought alongside the mask of Sauron, right An 18-carat gold prototype of 'the one ring', the centrepiece of the story, is expected to sell for around $82,000. It was the last of nine prototypes of the ring, which is famously called 'my precious' by deformed hobbit Gollum. The other eight rings are also up for sale for $20,000 each. The prosthetic ears and feet worn by Sir Ian Holm as Bilbo and Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee are on offer for just under $4,000 and $33,000 respectively. A white wooden staff belonging to Gandalf costs $69,000 while Gimli's helmet costs $57,000. Lord Of The Rings memoribilia is so sought after that even a roll of sticky tape used on the set of the films is tipped to fetch $130. Weapons of choice: Among the props are familiar axes and staves the likes of which were wielded by wizards The collection is being sold off in 92 lots and is expected to fetch 2.4 million pounds when it goes under the hammer. Darren Julien, of Julien's Auctions, said: 'This collection is unique - there is nothing else like it in the world. They belong to one Lord Of The Rings enthusiast who began collecting items after the Fellowship Of The Ring in 2001. Since then he has scoured the world for original props and costumes from all three films and has ended up with this incredible collection. Legend: Screen icon Sir Ian McKellen famously played the role of Gandalf the wizard. A staff handled by the actor could fetch $69,000 at auction Some of the items have come straight from the production company and others were giveaways from the early days before anyone realised how huge the films would become. The collector thought of the items as an investment but he had no idea just how much they would be worth ten years later. Lord Of The Rings has an enormous worldwide fanbase, many of whom would give anything to own something authentic from one of the movies. These artefacts are incredibly important and send a chill down the backs of many people who see them. The Lord Of The Rings story was split into three three-hour-long installments - The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King. The three films were released between 2001 and 2003 and are the highest grossing film trilogy of all time. Between them they won 17 Oscars. The auction will take place in Los Angeles on December 5.