Police in Hamburg are searching for the true master of a ring that got lost not after falling into the fires of Mount Doom but rather at a local shopping mall.

The replica of the ‘One Ring’ from the Lord of the Rings saga was found in mid-August near the Elbe shopping centre in the German city's Altona district. The discovery was made on 13th August but it was only reported on 26th August.

The band is gold-coloured and inscribed with the black Elvish letters made famous by J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy.

The inscription is Tolkien's invented Black Speech.

Picture shows the ring found on August 13, 2025 near the Elbe Shopping Center in Hamburg district of Osdorf in Germany and is waiting to be picked up until February 13, 2026. Note: Private photo. (@zfb_hamburg/Newsflash/NX)

In English it reads: "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

The city's central lost-and-found office has posted images of the ring online.

In one Instagram post, office chief Richard Emmel wrote: "Here the proof of ownership could be difficult. Does it belong to Sauron, Gollum or perhaps the Baggins family?"

The officials even tested the ring but joked that, unlike Frodo in the movies, they did not turn invisible.

Emmel said it was not made of gold, but whether it is just a cheap online purchase or a priceless original prop from the films remains unclear.

Either way, the owner has until mid-February to claim the find. If not, it will not return to the fires of Mount Doom, but is likely to end up under the hammer at a city council auction.

(Mike Leidig / newsX)