Rare Harry Potter First Edition Fetches 36,000 pounds at Auction

A rare first-edition Harry Potter book, bought for £10 in 1997, sold for £45,000 at auction. Stored for years, its value was discovered during lockdown.

on Nov 29, 2024

Almost 30 years after being bought for only 10 pounds, a rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was sold for 36,000 pounds at an auction Wednesday. Christine McCulloch bought the copy for her son Adam in 1997 from a bookseller in Stratford-upon-Avon without a clue about what this book was going to be worth in years. The memorabilia has been sold for a fortune at an auction held at Lichfield, Staffordshire. The successful bidder paid £45,000, including a buyer's premium, as reported by the BBC.

The book, according to Hansons Auctioneers, is one of about 500 hardback copies printed in the very first print run back in 1997. It was valued at anything between 30,000 to 50,000 pounds.

Adam McCulloch, from Tansley, Derbyshire, said the family had stored it in a cupboard below the stairs in their old Chesterfield house. The family learned of its potential value during the lockdown of 2020, when they read about first-edition sales.

"Once we got it verified it was a bit of a pinch yourself moment," he said.

Christine McCulloch recalls buying it for her son in 1997 saying: "We went in [the bookshop], bought it for 10 pounds. Adam really loved the book and it started this sort of fascination, as with so many children all over the world now."

"In some way, I think having that bit of a story around it, some tea stains there, and a folded over corner here where someone’s enjoyed reading it- I think that adds to the magic," he said.

he said.