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[alatar]

If you were expecting to find cheap electronics for sale here, you'll have to look elsewhere.

I've been reading FotR again and was wondering: where did Merry (1) find six ponies for sale, (2) acquire the money for the purchase, (3) buy the six ponies without raising any suspicion and (4) find six ponies for sale in the first place? Here's a little of what we know from three chapters in FotR:

Originally Posted by A Conspiracy Unmasked

There are six ponies in a stable across the fields;

Originally Posted by The Old Forest

In their shed they found the ponies; sturdy little beasts of the kind loved by hobbits, not speedy, but good for a long day's work.

Originally Posted by Strider

But thirty silver pennies was a sore blow to him,

So we know that Merry had six ponies at Crickhollow, that they were goodly beasts (not ragtag like Bill) and, when Barliman Butterbur makes recompense for the lost/stolen ponies at the Prancing Pony, he shells out a total of 30 silver pennies (12 to Bill Ferny for Bill; 18 more to Merry). If this is a large sum for Butterbur, where did Merry get said cash?

[Formendacil]

You're assuming an equity in value, at least on the whole cash/value of ponies bit, between the Shire and Breeland--which given the contact between the two societies is not necessarily the case. It's possible ponies are a lot more common in the Shire, which is wealthier in any case, so it might not have been so much of a financial burden.

On the other hand, even if ponies are more expensive in the Shire, I don't think cash need be much of an object--Merry is the only child of the Master of Buckland himself. If anyone in the Shire can afford to buy a few ponies, I would think he and Pippin would able to "pony up the cash."

(On a nitpickety note, it was only five ponies--the sixth pony, Fatty Lumpkin, was Bombadil's own: four hobbits and one pack-pony... but that's rather immaterial, I suppose...)

Your other question, how Merry managed to do this without contracting suspicion is a bit more of a chestnut. Speculatively, perhaps he was dealing in a whole stable of ponies for Brandy Hall, and just "happened" to up the Master's order from 20 ponies to 25. Perhaps he already owned two, and Pippin owned two, and Fredegar had one--they're all the uppermost of Hobbits in Shire-society--and they were brought to Buckland in stages--ostensibly for riding home to Tuckborough or Bolger country. And one or two, certainly, might have been bought in Frodo's name--a good mount is the sort of thing you might need once you move from the "big city" to the country.

All ridiculously speculative on my part, of course.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

You're assuming an equity in value, at least on the whole cash/value of ponies bit, between the Shire and Breeland--which given the contact between the two societies is not necessarily the case. It's possible ponies are a lot more common in the Shire, which is wealthier in any case, so it might not have been so much of a financial burden.

I see what you mean, but I can't see six ponies being in surplus - available for sale. If Merry hadn't bought them, what would the owner(s) have done with them?

On the other hand, even if ponies are more expensive in the Shire, I don't think cash need be much of an object--Merry is the only child of the Master of Buckland himself. If anyone in the Shire can afford to buy a few ponies, I would think he and Pippin would able to "pony up the cash."

And no one noticed? I guess that with all the talk about Frodo, and Frodo mostly concerned about himself, we don't get to read about the big pony sale of 3018.

(On a nitpickety note, it was only five ponies--the sixth pony, Fatty Lumpkin, was Bombadil's own: four hobbits and one pack-pony... but that's rather immaterial, I suppose...)

That's what I thought, until that is, I reread the Conspiracy Unmasked chapter. Go back and read it and see what your copy states (and note, as Merry was recompensed for only five but bought six, this would add to his initial cost).

Your other question, how Merry managed to do this without contracting suspicion is a bit more of a chestnut. Speculatively, perhaps he was dealing in a whole stable of ponies for Brandy Hall, and just "happened" to up the Master's order from 20 ponies to 25.

26.

Perhaps he already owned two, and Pippin owned two, and Fredegar had one--they're all the uppermost of Hobbits in Shire-society--and they were brought to Buckland in stages--ostensibly for riding home to Tuckborough or Bolger country. And one or two, certainly, might have been bought in Frodo's name--a good mount is the sort of thing you might need once you move from the "big city" to the country.

Possible...

All ridiculously speculative on my part, of course.

No more or less than my post. Thanks!

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

I was wondering why anyone would have bothered to respond to one of those silly trolls...

About the ponies, though: do we know for a fact that Merry bought them, or even owned them? Might he have borrowed them from his father, or purchased them from those the Master already owned? Then again, Brandybucks and Tooks are odd, to other hobbits, and Merry had already been to the Old Forest, if not far into it. And he knew things like boating and swimming. If he bought six ponies (or five), it might have been under the pretext that he and some of his equally peculiar friends and relatives were planning a holiday, riding off to Bree or some such. The Brandybucks may not have thought anything of it, nor those who did business with Bree. Some hobbits may have found it strange, but not all, I think.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

About the ponies, though: do we know for a fact that Merry bought them, or even owned them? Might he have borrowed them from his father, or purchased them from those the Master already owned?

No one was to know of the conspiracy, and so you would think that Merry would acquire the ponies in the most covert means he could effect. I don't know why he had so many - 6! - as for all he knew, he and the other two conspirators would be chasing after an invisible Frodo who would be trying to give them the slip.

Maybe Fatty needed a few to himself. Or, when the plan came together to leave on the ponies with Frodo, maybe the extra pony (which seems to oddly disappear) was to masquerade as Fatty, who was pretending to be Frodo.

Then again, Brandybucks and Tooks are odd, to other hobbits, and Merry had already been to the Old Forest, if not far into it. And he knew things like boating and swimming. If he bought six ponies (or five), it might have been under the pretext that he and some of his equally peculiar friends and relatives were planning a holiday, riding off to Bree or some such. The Brandybucks may not have thought anything of it, nor those who did business with Bree. Some hobbits may have found it strange, but not all, I think.

That could be likely. It just seems that such an expense and oddity would have been talked about somewhere.

[Bêthberry]

Some more speculation, possibly more silly then previous: Merry had a fairy godmother who turned his pet mice into ponies? And if they weren't back by the twelvth of the month, they'd revert back to mice.

EDIT: sweet thread title!

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by alatar

Maybe Fatty needed a few to himself. Or, when the plan came together to leave on the ponies with Frodo, maybe the extra pony (which seems to oddly disappear) was to masquerade as Fatty, who was pretending to be Frodo.

Hmm, I would rather think that Merry went up to his father and said, "I'm helping Frodo move from Hobbiton to Crickhollow, and we need a bunch of ponies to move all the stuff Bilbo left behind." And his unsuspecting dad gave him the keys to the car... er, the stables.

And I have no doubt that other people in the Shire talked about it, but it probably wasn't more than just gossip-level stuff about those peculiar Brandybucks.