Woman set to make £30,000 from forgotten first edition Harry Potter book
3 July 2019, 12:23
One Harry Potter fan is about to become £30,000 richer after discovering the value of an old book in her cupboard.
A woman from Stafford, 54, bought her old version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for only £1, but is about to sell if for a lot more.
The unnamed woman is the owner of a 1997 first edition of the magical novel, JK Rowling’s first book of the franchise.
The first edition is only one of 500 copies in the world that includes two spelling errors.
The first is the misspelling of ‘philosopher’, and the other is a repetition of ‘1 wand’ in the list of equipment for Harry’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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The book owner revealed she bought the former library book over 20 years ago for £1, and after reading it put it away in a cupboard for two decades.
She explained: “I thought nothing of it at the time. I read the book and then put it in away in a cupboard for years.
“It’s so exciting to think it could be worth so much now.”
The rare book is soon to go on auction, and is expected to sell at anywhere between £20,000-£30,000.
Jim Spencer of Hansons Auctioneer, who are handling the auction, told the Metro: “I was called to a client’s house to value three boxes of books and there is was – the holy grail of the Harry Potter books.”
He added: “Every book valuers dreams of finding one of these. I was slightly caught in disbelief.”
The book will be auctioned off on 31 July, which is Harry Potter and JK Rowling’s birthdays.
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