Like seemingly everything else, LOTR's such as you describe seem to be $1K more than they were a year ago. I'm no expert, but $5K for a low plays HUO LOTR sounds about right to me. IMO, LOTR is a terrific pin, BTW. Never is a long time, but I really can't see me ever parting with my LOTR.
I paid $4,200 for mine in April, 2011. Ebay BIN. At the time, the $4,200 seemed a bit high-ish. But, it was for sale very close by, and that was a factor in my decision. Those pinball road trips are a pain sometimes.