I found extremely rare Harry Potter book after it was mysteriously dumped at my door – now I’m selling it for £10,000
AN EXTREMELY rare Harry Potter book found mysteriously dumped at a charity’s door is now selling it for £10,000.
A generous donor gave away the first edition of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to the shop on the Isle of Wight.
The beloved classic book is now expected to fetch a staggering sum due to its numerous printing typos.
Staff at the RSPCA charity shop were left in shock when found the valuable book at the store’s doorstep as part of a donation.
Rebecca Busby, an RSPCA fundraising officer at the Isle of Wight branch, said: “The book was gifted to one of our charity shops as a possible first edition.
One of the volunteers confirmed it was a first edition after spotting errors at the rear cover and inside the book.
Rebecca added: “She called me and I could hear her excitement as she said ‘I can’t believe it we have a Harry Potter first edition, it’s the best condition I have ever seen.
“Please could you find somewhere to sell this, as we can’t sell it in the shop’.”
The book is part of the first 5,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
All the books were printed with the same errors – including words ‘one wand’ printed twice on page 53 and a typo at the rear cover.
The famous author’s name JK Rowling is also written as ‘Joanne Rowling’.
Harry Potter expert Jim Spencer at Hansons Auctioneers said the copy could fetch up to £10,000 as it is in excellent condition.
He explained: “This book represents the beginning of the Harry Potter phenomenon.
“Not many paperbacks published in the 1990s have the potential to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.
“Nobody predicted the huge popularity of Harry Potter, so these books were printed on cheap paper stock.
“This, coupled with the fact it’s a children’s book, means most examples are in very poor condition, showing signs of being swung about in a school rucksack, full of doodles, stained from orange squash, or, at the very least, faded at the spine from sunlight hitting the bookcase.
“This one is exceptional. The only minor flaws are a couple of lightly folded corners and the usual light browning to page edges, which is in fact a reassuring sign due to the cheap paper that was used. I’d be worried if the pages didn’t have this slight discolouration.
“It should appeal to collectors all over the world and the lucky buyer can be doubly happy in the knowledge money raised will help animals like Harry.”
The charity now hopes to fork on £10,000 to help out dozens of animals in need of care.
Rebecca said: “We currently have over 50 pets in our care – including dogs, cats and rabbits – and due to the cost of living crisis we, like many animal charities, are struggling.
“More animals are coming into our care as owners struggle to support them and less people are adopting due to the costs involved.”
Mr Spencer added: “This deserves to fly, especially for such a great cause.
“I hope collectors are generous with their bids and help the RSPCA.
“It would be very difficult to find another copy that’s as well-preserved as this one, so it deserves to set tails wagging at auction.”
The first edition will be sold at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire, on February 26.
Is your Harry Potter book worth any money?
If you have books collecting dust at home that you think may be valuable, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Firstly, the condition of it is key and will impact the value.
First edition books are also highly sought-after and will usually be more valuable than a later printing.
Better yet, if the author has signed it, you can expect it to be worth more.
The number of copies in existence will also have an impact.
To check if your books are valuable, it’s worth first looking up completed listings on eBay and filtering by the highest value.
You can also decide to have it valued by auction houses but be aware of any fees.
If you decide to sell, remember that you’re not guaranteed to be quids in.