A first-edition of the first Harry Potter book was saved from disposal to sell for more than £20,000 this month.
The copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was spirited away by an overseas bidder at an auction in Paignton, Devon on February 8.
It had been destined for the bin when auctioneer Daniel Pearce spotted it in a deceased estate.
Mr Pearce, who helmed the sale, told the BBC: “[It was] an absolutely great result for a first edition hardback.”
The edition was a first print-run copy put out by publishers who were very unsure of their new author and her wizarding story. Only 500 hardbacks were printed, and 300 of these sent to libraries. Philosopher is misspellled “philospher” on the edition’s back cover.
From a tentatively published book, the Harry Potter world has expanded to include a global chain of enormous theme parks. Image By Rstoplabe14 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The sale attracted world-wide interest and was scheduled to facilitate bidding from California.
The Harry Potter series is now highly collectible in all forms and all mediums.
The edition sold last month is one of the rarest.
The most valuable Potter book is a copy of the hand-written and drawn (by Potter author JK Rowling) The Tales of Beedle the Bard that sold for £1.95million in 2007.
The drawing featured on the front cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone realised $1.92 million in 2024, a huge increase from its first auction sale for £85,750 in 2001.
A copy of the first edition Philosopher’s Stone hardback sold for $216,000 in 2024.
Although the Potter series is completed, children still grow up with the books, films and theme parks and it seems likely an appetite for rarities will exist for many generations to come.
