Rare Harry Potter first edition sells for £36,000

A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold for £36,000 at an auction in Staffordshire 30 years after it was purchased for just £10, Kazinform News Agency reports.

Christine McCulloch, from Tansley, Derbyshire, bought the book for her son Adam in 1997 from a bookshop in Stratford-upon-Avon. The copy is highly sought after by collectors, because it is one of only 500 hardback first editions printed.

The book had been valued between £30,000 and £50,000 by Hansons Auctioneers. The auction, held at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, saw the total sale price reach £45,000 with the buyer’s premium.

Adam recalled that the book had been stored in a cupboard under the stairs in the family’s former Chesterfield home, interestingly similar to Harry Potter’s living space. The family discovered it's worth during the 2020 lockdown after hearing about the demand for first editions.

With time the book bore signs of love, according to him, including tea stains and folded corners, which "add to the magic."