Rare first edition of Harry Potter book expected to sell for £100,000
Rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone that was almost returned to the shop when it was bought in 1997 because it didn’t have a dust jacket is expected to sell for over £100,000 at auction
- A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will go up at auction
- The perfectly preserved book is one of 500 printed in 1997 for its first edition
- It contains the original spelling typos and spent 25 years lying unread on a shelf
- Hansons Auctioneers have given it a pre-sale estimate of £40,000 to £60,000
A perfectly preserved first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone left untouched on a shelf for 25 years could sell for over £100,000 at auction, setting a new UK record.
J.K Rowling’s first Potter novel has been republished countless times but the book’s success was far from assured when the 500 copies printed for its first edition appeared in shops in 1997.
The collector, who paid £12.99 for the book at the time, almost returned it to the store where he bought it from as it didn’t come with a dust jacket – which he mistakenly believed was a fatal flaw.
He decided to keep it on ‘the toss of a coin’ and left it on a shelf.
The 68-year-old owner from West Sussex, who is not being named, later realised that none of the hardback copies came with the protective cover and so his book is as it should be.
Jim Spencer (pictured), a book expert at Hansons, said: ‘I receive countless Potter enquiries every single day, but this one had grabbed me and I hoped it would be right’
The 500 copies in the book’s first edition all contain the same ‘typos’ – granting them a unique quality for collectors.
One error is ‘one wand’ being printed twice on a list of items Harry needs for Hogwarts on page 53.
The misprint ‘Wizardry and and witchcraft’ can also be seen on the back cover – a subtle variation of the title for ‘Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry’ which features in the novel.
The first editions have massively gained in value over the years and this one is expected to fetch over £100,000.
But that figure would still be way off the world record price of £356,000 paid for a mint condition first edition in the US last December.
The vendor decided to sell his now and plans to use the proceeds to pay off his mortgage.
A pristine first edition of the most valuable Harry Potter book ever published could smash all records at auction after being kept in darkness for 25 years
He said: ‘I’ve really looked after it. It’s in the best condition it possibly can be – almost perfect I would say. It’s never been read.
‘A year after I bought it, with Harry Potter excitement growing at my daughter’s school, she asked if she could read it. I said, “no, absolutely not”.
‘Instead, I bought her another copy. My daughter’s copy of Philosopher’s Stone was a fourth issue – with a dust jacket. So, I put that on my first edition to protect it and tucked it away.
‘In recent years, I noticed Philosopher’s Stone first editions were selling well at auction but, as mine didn’t have a dust jacket, I didn’t think it could achieve those prices.
‘Eventually I realised a dust jacket was not specified. Now I’ve reached the time of life when it would be useful to pay off the mortgage so I’ve decided to sell. It’s not easy to part with.’
The hardback copy is one of only 500 in the first ever Harry Potter book print run in 1997
Hansons Auctioneers of Derby are selling the book and have given it a pre-sale estimate of £40,000 to £60,000.
Jim Spencer, a book expert at Hansons, said: ‘I receive countless Potter enquiries every single day, but this one had grabbed me and I hoped it would be right.
‘My only fear was that it was too good to be true. I inspected the book closely, again and again, comparing it with two other first issues of the same work, studying the covers and text with a magnifying glass.
‘Everything added up perfectly. I couldn’t believe it. It was like stepping back in time to 1997.’
Auctioneer Charles Hanson added: ‘I’d like to think our copy could achieve £100,000 or better still, smash the world record.
‘It’s in fantastic, bright condition. It should spark interest from collectors all over the world.’
Of the first run of 500 Harry Potter books, about 300 were given to libraries and schools and the remaining 200 passed into private hands.
The book will be sold on March 9.
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