I purchased my LOTR NIR and have owned it for over 15 years now and have disassembled the entire play field for cleaning twice and I don't recall ever seeing a post like that. Stern Pinball used to produce exceptional manuals, and page 69 of the LOTR manual shows every metal post and quantity used in the game, with actual size images of every one, the pictured post just isn't there.
Where on the playfield did you pull this post from?
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Edit: I suppose it could be a #9 with a washer driven down onto it. I would just replace it if you can find one. https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/530-5007-00
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Anderson, SC
