Current:Home > ScamsProof copy of Harry Potter book, bought for pennies in 1997, sells for more than $13,000-InfoLens
Proof copy of Harry Potter book, bought for pennies in 1997, sells for more than $13,000
View Date:2024-12-23 18:25:44
LONDON — A proof copy of the first Harry Potter novel that was bought for pennies in a second-hand bookshop almost 30 years ago has sold at auction for 11,000 pounds ($13,900.)
British auctioneers Hanson's said Monday that the first-edition copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," which states "uncorrected proof copy" on the cover, was bought in 1997 from a shop in south London with two other books for a total of 40 pence ($0.50.)
The seller, who was not named, picked up the book about the famous boy wizard as a "throw-in" with other titles and didn't read it or pay much attention to it for years — until she read online about the high prices some Potter copies achieved, Hanson's said.
'Dumbledore's Army':How 'Harry Potter' inspired a generation of young activists
The book was sold to a private U.K. buyer on Wednesday for a hammer price of 11,000 pounds, and a total of 14,432 pounds including a sales premium.
Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist
Jim Spencer, head of books at the auction house, said the copy's inside title page mistakenly stated the author's name as "J A Rowling" instead of J.K. Rowling.
"This book so deserved to do well. This proof copy is where the Harry Potter phenomenon began. This is the very first appearance in print of the first Potter novel," Spencer said.
veryGood! (76)
Related
- Subway rider who helped restrain man in NYC chokehold death says he wanted ex-Marine to ‘let go’
- Supreme Courts in 3 states will hear cases about abortion access this week
- Key evidence in the disappearance and death of millionaire Andreen McDonald
- Here's What to Give the Man in Your Life to Sneakily Upgrade His Style For the Holidays
- NFL overreactions: New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys going nowhere after Week 10
- Winding down from a long day's work by playing lottery on her phone, Virginia woman wins big
- What is the healthiest wine? Find out if red wine or white wine is 'best' for you.
- WHO resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict hopes for 'health as a bridge to peace'
- Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
- Why 'Friends' is the 'heartbeat' of Julia Roberts sci-fi movie 'Leave the World Behind'
Ranking
- Colts' Kenny Moore II ridicules team's effort in loss to Bills
- Save $200 On This Convertible Bag From Kate Spade, Which We Guarantee You'll Be Wearing Everywhere
- Tylan Wallace goes from little-used backup to game-winning hero with punt return TD for Ravens
- Fantasy football waiver wire Week 15 adds: 5 players you need to consider picking up now
- Diamond Sports Group will offer single-game pricing to stream NBA and NHL games starting next month
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Dec. 10, 2023
- A day of 2 prime ministers in Poland begins the delayed transition to a centrist, pro-EU government
- Worried your kid might have appendicitis? Try the jump test
Recommendation
-
Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
-
NFL playoff clinching scenarios: Cowboys, Eagles, 49ers can secure spots in Week 14
-
Stock market today: Asian shares mixed after Wall Street hits 2023 high
-
What Nicole Richie Taught Sister Sofia Richie About Protecting Her Privacy
-
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, shrugging off Wall Street’s overnight rally
-
Doctor and self-exiled activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS epidemic in rural China dies at 95
-
Tylan Wallace goes from little-used backup to game-winning hero with punt return TD for Ravens
-
2 Americans charged with murder of Canadian tycoon and his partner in Dominica