Auctioneer Richard Winterton with a rare Harry Potter book.
An incredibly rare Harry Potter book bought for 30 pence has sold at auction for £10,500. The first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was one of 500 copies produced and was bought by a collector from Staffordshire who died earlier this year, BBC informed of.
The hardback copy of the book went to auction on Monday, 10 July at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Fradley Park with Richard Winterton Auctioneers.
Published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with a laminated board cover, the book is one of only 500 first edition first impressions and, of those, one of only 300 sent to libraries.
The winning bid was placed online by a Los Angeles buyer, according to a release from Litchfield Auction Center,
Estimates for the book ranged from £3,000 to £5,000 due to its ‘much-loved condition’ as a pre-library book.
Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “We are absolutely delighted with the result.
“The first in JK Rowling’s original series of books, this copy is clearly well read and still has its library identification sticker, spine sticker with the letter J, clearance stamp and 30p (pence) sale price.”
The book was found after auctioneers painstakingly sifted through hundreds of boxes of his belongings, the release said.
The man’s sister, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said ahead of the sale: “He started trading books and memorabilia when he was in school.
“He’d go to rummage sales and church fairs and come back with stacks of annuals or comics.
“He would then take them to a second-hand shop in Hednesford to sell or take them to school to swap with friends.
“It was his passion from an early age.”
The family knew she had acquired a valuable Harry Potter book, but feared it had gone missing.