An incredibly rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, printed by Bloomsbury in 1997, was recently sold at an auction for a staggering £10,500 (approximately over ₹11 lakh). What’s truly remarkable is that this specific copy, originally bought for 30 pence (approximately ₹32), was among the 300 books that went to the libraries. Moreover, it’s one of only 500 first-edition copies, making it a prized possession for collectors.
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After being withdrawn from use from Wolverhampton Library, this book was bought by a collector from Burntwood. Following the collector’s death, a team from Richard Winterton Auctioneers sorted through his belongings. This was when they stumbled upon the rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which the collector’s family feared was lost since it had been placed into storage during a house move, BBC reported. “We knew that he had got the book but if you asked him to pinpoint it he couldn’t,” the outlet quoted the collector’s sister, who does not wish to be named.
After rediscovering the book, Richard Winterton Auctioneers announced its sale through a social media post, creating a buzz among Harry Potter enthusiasts and book collectors alike.
“Coming up in our auction on Monday 10th July we have this wonderful, rare Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, FIRST edition, FIRST issue book -LOT 299,” reads the caption written alongside the pictures shared on Facebook.
Take a look at the auction post here:
{{/usCountry}}“Coming up in our auction on Monday 10th July we have this wonderful, rare Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, FIRST edition, FIRST issue book -LOT 299,” reads the caption written alongside the pictures shared on Facebook.
Take a look at the auction post here:
{{/usCountry}}Richard Winterton Auctioneers also shared a video on Facebook. In the post, they wrote, “Wow, what an incredible result for the Harry Potter book! A hammer price of £10,500. Did you manage to watch the sale live this morning? We have had a great sale so far and we will share more results once the auction comes to an end,” Alongside the video, they added the hashtags, including #auctionday, #harrypotterbook, and #harrypotterfirstedition.
Watch the auction of the Harry Potter book here:
The outlet further reported that the successful bid came from a buyer in Los Angeles through an online platform. Richard Winterton, the auctioneer based in Lichfield, expressed great satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “We’re absolutely delighted with this result.”
Since being shared on Facebook, both posts have accumulated a flurry of reactions and comments. Many expressed astonishment at the book’s significant value, while others hailed it as an incredible find.
Here’s how people reacted to the video:
“That’s awesome,” posted a Twitter user. Another added, “Wow!” “Spectacular!” expressed a third. A fourth commented, "Best 30p somebody spent!" "Fantastic," shared a fifth. What are your thoughts on this?