Ever wondered what the books on your shelves are worth?
One woman has hit the reading jackpot with her rare copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone – that she bought for just a few quid – now worth thousands.
Former bookshop worker Jane Thompson-Webb has been a fan of J.K Rowling series for decades.
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The 54-year-old from Erdington, Birmingham bought her book brand new in 1997 for £4.99 – minus a 30% staff discount, which brought the total down to £3.50.
The original soft cover first edition has been sitting on her bookshelf for over 20 years.
It is so rare because it has several mistakes on the cover and in the text that were corrected in later editions.
Jane, who is a conservation manager for Birmingham Museums Trust, decided to send it to auction following a clear-out at home.
It goes under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers on Monday 9 September, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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“I bought it for myself while I was working in Ottakar’s Bookshop in Birmingham,” Jane said.
“When the first Harry Potter was released we reviewed it for an in-house newsletter.
“I was 26 at the time and bought it because I wanted to read it – I’ve always read children’s stories.
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“I remember people coming to buy the book before Christmas.
“But what’s really vivid is how many parents with young boys came in after Christmas with the boys asking when the next book was coming out because they wanted to read the next story.
“That book got boys reading.”
Jane is still a Harry Potter fan and keeps hardback copies of the entire series.
Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “This is an exceptional copy and we anticipate a huge amount of interest at auction.
“If you think you have a first edition of the book – either in soft cover or hard cover – there are certain vital things to look out for.
“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’.
“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.
“We have estimated this book at £3,000 to £3,500 but hope it could get to the £5,000 because the condition is stunning.”
In July 2023, a hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone went under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers at £10,500.
Bought for 30p after being withdrawn from Wolverhampton Library, the book – one of only 500 first edition first impressions and, of those, one of only 300 sent to libraries – attracted international interest, with the winning bid placed over the internet from Los Angeles.
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