A lucky shop worker has sold a rare Harry Potter book for a staggering £8,000 after buying the early copy for just £3.50.
Jane Thompson-Webb purchased it in 1997 while working at a bookshop.
And after sitting on Ms Thompson-Webb’s bookshelf for almost 20 years, she flogged it for 2,285 times what she paid for it.
READ MORE: Moment tiny kitten SURVIVES after falling in tiger enclosure at zoo
- Advertisement -
The Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone copy was sold to a mystery telephone bidder at auction who paid in excess of £8,000 – a £6,600 hammer price plus fees.
The book was verified as a rare copy by the missing ‘o’ in the word ‘Philosopher’s’ on the back cover, among other telling signs.
Ms Thompson-Webb, of Birmingham, explained she had used her Ottakar’s Bookshop 30% staff discount to purchase the fantasy novel, meaning she hadn’t even paid the full retail price of £4.99.
The soft cover of J. K. Rowlings’ debut schoolboy wizard book went under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers near Lichfield yesterday (9 Sept).
More than 30 bidders from the UK and the US took part, with the mystery purchaser currently unnamed, as reported by What’s The Jam.
- Advertisement -
Mr Winterton said that others could also have special copies sitting on their bookshelves at home – they just need to check a few details.
He said: “I go straight to the back cover, where there should be a letter ‘o’ missing from the word philosopher’s. It reads ‘Acclaim for Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone’.
“It also refers to ‘Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft’ – this was later swapped round to ‘Witchcraft and Wizardry’.
- Advertisement -
“Check that the publisher is Bloomsbury and the latest date listed in the copyright information is 1997.
“The print line on the copyright page should read “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” and in the copyright information for the cover illustration of Thomas Taylor 1997, there is no gap between his surname and the date: ‘Taylor1997’.
“Like all early printings of the title, it also credits text copyright to Joanne Rowling.
“Another good one to spot is on page 53, which features a list of school supplies Harry receives from Hogwarts.
“The item ‘1 wand’ appears twice, at the start and again at the end.”
Mr Winterton said the sale was a “fantastic result” and was one of the highest prices achieved at auction because of the “wonderful condition” of the copy.
He said: “We had a huge amount of interest in the book leading up to the auction and on sale day we were joined online by more than 30 bidders from America and the UK along with two telephone bids and people watching in the saleroom.
“After a solid bidding battle the copy was eventually secured by a telephone bidder in the UK.
“Congratulations to the winner and also to the underbidders who all helped make this a magical moment in the saleroom.”
In July 2023, an ultra-rare hardback copy of the book went under the hammer and fetched £10,500.
Bought for 30p after being withdrawn from Wolverhampton Library, the book – one of only 500 first edition first impressions and one of only 300 sent to libraries – attracted international interest, with the winning bid placed over the internet from Los Angeles in the US.
READ MORE: TV star reveals best budget dupes for high end beauty brands from unlikely source
