The hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone cost just £10.99 in 1997. But it turned out to be a rare first edition and has now sold at auction in London for £56,000.
A Hogwarts fan who bought a Harry Potter book with his pocket money when he was 10 has sold it for £56,000 – after it turned out to be a rare first edition.
The man forked out £10.99 for the hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone from Waterstones after its release in 1997.
After reading the fantasy book, he put it on a shelf in his bedroom – where it gathered dust for years.
When his parents were moving home earlier this year, they were sorting through his belongings and asked if he wanted to keep it.
The man decided to check if it was of value as he had heard about rare Harry Potter copies going for a lot of money.
He was stunned to discover he owned one of the 500 sought-after copies printed in the first run which have several typos.
The words “one wand” are printed twice on a list of items Harry needs for Hogwarts on page 53.
Author JK Rowling’s name appears as “Joanne Rowling” and the back cover is missing an “o” in ‘Philospher’s Stone’.
The man, now in his late 30s and from the south of England, sold his copy at auctioneers Bonhams in London.
It was tipped to fetch between £30,000 and £40,000, but the price soared to £56,280.
The lucky seller said: “I’m amazed and thrilled by the result – it completely exceeded our expectations.
“I thank the stars we did not throw it out during the house move.”
The auctioneers said finding a first edition was like “getting a golden ticket at Charlie and the Chocolate factory”.
Bonhams books specialist Luke Batterham said: “The vendor loved
Harry Potter books and this copy is well read so not in mint condition.
“It was on his bedroom shelf when his parents were sorting out his old room and they asked him if he wanted to keep hold of it.
“He had heard that early Harry Potter books could be valuable but he had no idea he owned a first edition.
“It was like finding the golden ticket at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
“Realising he has got an asset that big can be rather nerve-wracking in case something happens to it, hence the decision to sell.
“Working in the Bonhams book department we get more calls each week about Harry Potter than any other books.
“Usually I have to disappoint the enquirers with a ‘sadly yours is not a first, so no commercial value’.
“So it is always really great to be able to find a real rare first, and make a vendor very happy. It is a reward for childhood reading.”
In June 2022, two sisters who were gifted a first edition sold their copy for a British record £220,800.
The world-record price paid for a first edition is a whopping £356,000, which was achieved in Dallas, US, in December 2021.
Over 120 million copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone have been sold to date.
