After rereading "A Long-expected Party," I have come to the conclusion that the Ring should be removed from above the mantle of Bag End. Certain people BWOT were afraid that changing anything in Bag End would provoke ire, so I will present my reasoning here with MLA citations. Please contact me if you would prefer APA or Chicago/Turabian, as I wish to avoid any danger in this highly contentious topic. Basically, Bilbo at this point in his life would not feel comfortable with the ring out of his possession. "'I tried locking it up, but I found I couldn't rest without it in my pocket,'" he confides to Gandalf (Tolkien 43). If there is a suitable clock, we should replace the ring with it, as one is on the mantle: "Just as he was about to set [the envelope with the ring] by the clock" (43). Further dialogue from Bilbo provides evidence of his attachment to the ring, such as when he refers to it as "'My precious'" (42). In addition, his mannerisms change at the thought of relinquishing the ring, becoming more violent and suspicious (41-43). Since Bilbo does not display these characteristics in previous sequences featuring the character, it suggests that he has the ring with him at all times. Thank you for your consideration of my humble suggestion.

[SUP]1[/SUP] “A Long-Expected Party.” The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, 2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin Co., 1986, pp. 29–50.