by Mick the Ram

A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, set to be discarded with a pile of rubbish, has sold at auction for more than £21,000.

The item went under the hammer at NLB Auctions in the English town of Paignton, Devon on 8 February with bidders in the room, on the phone and online.

Daniel Pearce, who runs the auction house, came across the item amongst some possessions of a deceased man from the area, which were to be thrown out.

The book famously has a misspelling of “philosopher’s” on its reverse cover and in a list of equipment on its page 53 “1 wand” is itemised twice and these enabled Mr Pearce to identify it as a first edition copy.

The book was described by auctioneers as being a “good example of an extremely scarce first edition first issue” with light wear and tear.

The series, which includes seven books which were adapted into blockbuster movies, went on to become one of the most popular in the world.

Previously another first edition copy of the same title was auctioned for £45,201 in June of last year, whilst a copy in pristine condition was sold for an eye-watering £69,000 back in March 2022.

Success of the book not initially predicted

Hard as it is to believe – given the remarkable success of the series – but initially upon its release, publishers produced only the small number of copies because of uncertainty about whether or not the book would prove popular.

Mr Pearce explained that the book was from the first print run of 500 copies printed in 1997 and was among the 300 that was distributed to public libraries. He was able to clarify that it had a library stamp on its title page and signs of a previous library slip card.

Sold to overseas buyer

He confirmed that the book had made its way overseas from the auction, which was scheduled to accommodate the time difference for interested parties on the west coast of the USA.

“The owner will be delighted with the money,” Mr Pearce added.

Potter collectibles always popular

All things Harry Potter have become highly collectible. It usually takes decades for a book to become collectible and gain significant value on the rare book market, but JK Rowling’s books have broken that trend.

Books featuring autographs or annotations from the author or actors from the film series can also achieve considerable amounts when leading international auctioneers provide an equal opportunity for the huge global audience of enthusiasts, fans, and collectors to buy their own slice of Potter history.

Could be rich without knowing it

Top of the pile are hard cover first edition first printings of the 1997 book which have become the “Holy Grail” for Potter collectors.

Essentially, anyone in possession of one are sitting on a fortune.