Current:Home > FinanceVery 1st print version of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" sold at auction for more than $13,000-InfoLens
Very 1st print version of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" sold at auction for more than $13,000
View Date:2024-12-23 18:32:11
The "very first appearance in print" of the first book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series was bought for less than a dollar more than a quarter-century ago. This week, it was sold in an auction for thousands.
Hansons Auctioneers said that an uncorrected copy proof of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" – a version so raw and unedited it even had Rowling's name misspelled as J.A. Rowling on the title page – was sold to a private buyer in the U.K. on Monday at a hammer price of 11,000 pounds, nearly $14,000.
The copy of the book was originally purchased for 40 pence, about 50 cents, in 1997 when it was a "'throw-in' with a couple of other books," Hansons said. The now-52-year-old woman, who purchased the book when she was just 26, "didn't even particularly notice she'd bought it at the time," according to the auctioneer group.
"I didn't have much money but I always liked to treat myself to a browse round second-hand bookshops on Saturday mornings," the seller said, adding that she had popped into one of those shops looking for books by Agatha Christie. "... The Harry Potter book was among the piles – maybe even by accident – as all the rest were Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, etc., as far as I remember. I bought it as a throw-in with a couple of other titles – 40p for all three. I don't think I even looked at it properly, to tell the truth."
That book, later known in the U.S. as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," launched the world to Harry Potter fandom, telling the story of a young orphan who discovers he's a famous wizard as he embarks on a journey to stop the rise of villain Lord Voldemort.
The auctioned copy of the book, much like the story itself, followed the seller across the world – from China to the U.K. and Italy – "being packed and unpacked – without being read," she said.
"It ended up stuck behind a shelf in my bedroom until, for no good reason again other than the fact my kids were turning into Harry Potter fans, I went looking for it. Even the kids haven't read it – there are four of them aged from 12 to 25. They always unfortunately – or fortunately in this case – preferred the films," she said.
Then she discovered many of the Harry Potter books were being sold at "incredible prices," and reached out to Hansons' Potter expert Jim Spencer to see if it was worth anything – and it was, as she said, "a massive piece of well-timed luck."
Spencer said that this copy of the debut novel "is where the Harry Potter phenomenon began."
"This is the very first appearance in print of the first Potter novel," Spencer said. "... The author's signing tours, the midnight queues outside bookshops, the movies, the merchandise – it all stems from this. ... A touch of Potter magic perhaps."
- In:
- Books
- J.K. Rowling
- Harry Potter
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- When do new 'Yellowstone' episodes come out? Here's the Season 5, Part 2 episode schedule
- Finland’s presidential election runoff to feature former prime minister and ex-top diplomat
- Apparent Israeli strike on area of Syrian capital where Iran-backed fighters operate kills 2 people
- Mega Millions winning numbers for January 26 drawing; jackpot reaches $285 million
- Spirit Airlines cancels release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
- Document spells out allegations against 12 UN employees Israel says participated in Hamas attack
- New Orleans jury convicts man in fatal shooting of former Saints player Will Smith
- A Klimt painting that was lost for nearly 100 years after being confiscated by Nazis will be auctioned
- Why Dolly Parton Is a Fan of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Little Love Affair
- What is ECOWAS and why have 3 coup-hit nations quit the West Africa bloc?
Ranking
- Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
- Bullfighting set to return to Mexico City amid legal battle between fans and animal rights defenders
- South China Sea tensions and Myanmar violence top agenda for Southeast Asian envoys meeting in Laos
- Who is No Doubt? Gwen Stefani had to explain band to son ahead of Coachella reunion
- Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
- Shohei Ohtani joining Dodgers 'made too much sense' says Stan Kasten | Nightengale's Notebook
- Finland’s presidential election runoff to feature former prime minister and ex-top diplomat
- Pauly Shore sued by man for alleged battery and assault at The Comedy Store club
Recommendation
-
Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
-
How Dakota Johnson Honored Taylor Swift on SNL
-
Somali pirates suspected of hijacking a Sri Lankan fishing boat and abducting its 6 crew
-
Halle Bailey Fiercely Defends Decision to Keep Her Pregnancy Private
-
Mariah Carey's Amazon Holiday Merch Is All I Want for Christmas—and It's Selling Out Fast!
-
Taking away Trump’s business empire would stand alone under New York fraud law
-
Trial to begin for men accused of killing Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay
-
'Days of Wine and Roses,' a film about love and addiction, is now a spirited musical