Editing Mithril (section)

=== Abundance ===

{{further|Economy of Middle-earth}}

In Tolkien's [[Middle-earth]], mithril is extremely rare by the end of the [[Third Age]], as it was now found only in [[Khazad-dûm]]. Once the [[Balrog]] destroyed Khazad-dûm, the kingdom of the Dwarves in Moria, the only source of new mithril ore was cut off. Before Moria was abandoned by the Dwarves, while it was still being actively mined, mithril was worth ten times its weight in gold.<ref name="moria" group=T/> After the Dwarves abandoned Moria and production of new mithril stopped entirely, it became priceless.<ref name="moria" group=T/>

Tolkien hints that mithril was found in the lost island kingdom of [[Númenor]]<ref name="Disaster of Gladden Fields" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1980|loc=part 3, ch. 1 "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields}}</ref> and the inaccessible continent of [[Aman (Tolkien)|Aman]].<ref name="Many Meetings" group=T/>