Rare Copy Of Harry Potter Bought For Less Than $1 Sells For Huge Price At Auction
A very rare “proof copy” of the original Harry Potter book that someone bought decades ago for less than $1 has sold at auction for a huge premium.
Auction company Hansons announced that a first-edition “uncorrected proof copy” of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold for 11,000 pounds, or about $13,900, according to The Associated Press. Someone walked into a secondhand book store in 1997 and bought the book and two others for 40 pence ($0.50). Not a bad return on investment for the seller.
The wizard Jim Spencer works his magic again!
Scarce proof copy of first Harry Potter book – bought for 13p – achieves £14,000 at auctionhttps://t.co/8PDaFc2XDV@LibraryAuction @HansonsAuctions pic.twitter.com/cbiOFrQkrc
— Hansons 🇭 (@HansonsUK) February 26, 2024
The identity of the seller and the buyer is unknown, but Hansons said this person only picked up the book in 1997 as a “throw-in” with the two other books they actually wanted. This person only came forward to sell it after reading online that it might be valuable.