Rare first edition Harry Potter book could be auctioned for up to INR 5,21,578! – Times of India

JK Rowling‘s first book in the Harry Potter series was rejected by many publishers before Bloomsbury agreed to print just about 500 copies of it in 1997. The rest, as they say, is history. And now, the news is that a rare first edition copy of the first book in the Harry Potter series, titled ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone‘, which was bought for just 30 pence could be auctioned for as much as £5,000 (INR 5,21,578)!
As per reports, out the initial 500 books of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ that were published, roughly 300 copies were issued to public libraries.And so, finding a first-edition of the first Harry Potter book is quite rare.
A copy of the first edition ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ was bought by a Staffordshire man from Wolverhampton libraries. The book was later discovered at his home, after the man died untimely earlier this year at the age of 55.
His sister, who didn’t want to be identified, told the BBC, that her brother has a passion for collection books and memorabilia. “He started dealing in books and memorabilia when he was still at school. He would go to jumble sales and church fairs and would come back with a pile of annuals or comics,” she said.
But when the man had moved houses roughly four years ago, he had put all his belongings into hundreds of boxes. And so, the book was briefly thought to be lost; however it was found again after a team from Richard Winterton Auctioneers went through his stuff, as per reports.
“It has clearly been well-read, which is most befitting of one of the initial run of books which helped fuel the early popularity of Potter – which, of course, rapidly evolved into a global phenomenon,” Winterton said. He further said that the rare book’s auction on July 10 would be “a magical moment”.
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time that a rare Harry Potter book is being auction. In March 2022, a rare first edition copy of the Harry Potter book was sold for £69,000. And in December 2022, a 15th anniversary edition of the Harry Potter book was auctioned for £8,000.