Quote:
Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc
Pretty handy for Saruman had they managed to get it to Isengard; it would have been actually quite fitting if ol' Sharkey got the key...
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He wouldn't really have needed it though, would he? Saruman (according to non-canon
UT 
) had been in the Shire in earlier times, probably going over Sarn Ford. Why bother with the Old Forest in that case?
There were a lot of seeming opportunities for that key to have been lost. Maybe it's lucky Frodo and Co. didn't need it to
enter the Shire covertly when they returned; though maybe had they known of the presence of the Ruffians, the thought could have been entertained.