Tattered copy of Harry Potter book to sell for $5,000 at auction

By Nathan Pynn

A tattered copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is tipped to sell for $5,000 at auction.

The tatty book was one of the first softcover editions printed by Bloomsbury in June 1997 and marked the start of the Harry Potter phenomenon.

One paperback copy - bought for around $12 - was given to a young Naveed Younas, from Nottingham.

Almost three decades later, Naveed, now aged 37, is selling his beloved book which he admits is “well thumbed.”

Despite its worn condition, the book is expected to sell for between $4,000 and $5,000 when it goes under the hammer next month.

Naveed said: “I liked it very much, read it quite a lot and went on to read the other Harry Potter books in due course.

“It has been left on my shelf for a few years now and I thought this would be a good time to pass on to someone else who will appreciate it.”

There were 5,150 softcover copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone printed by Bloomsbury in June 1997.

Five hundred hardback copies containing the same text were also issued.

It will go under the hammer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers in Lichfield, Staffs., on April 13.

Valuer Robert French said: “This well-thumbed example has clearly been much-loved and read repeatedly – exactly what it was printed to do.

“There are some interesting anomalies which identify a first edition first printing of the book, either soft or hard cover.

“For example, on page 53 is a list of school supplies Harry receives from Hogwarts where ‘1 wand’ appears twice, at the start and again at the end.

“On the back cover there is a letter ‘o’ missing from the word philosopher’s and it also refers to ‘Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft’, which was later swapped around to ‘Witchcraft and Wizardry’.

“Conversely, the most obvious tell-tale sign that you do not have a first impression is if the bottom of the front cover states that the book is ‘a Triple Smarties Gold Award Winner’!”