J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series is renowned worldwide, with the first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," having only 500 copies of its first edition in hardcover.
Recently, one of these rare books sold for £21,000 (approximately HK$200,000) at NLB auction house in the UK. Auction house owner Daniel Pearce revealed that the book was discovered among the belongings of a deceased man and was almost thrown away by his family.
According to reports, a man from Devon, England, recently passed away. His family sought the expertise of auction specialists to determine if there were any valuable items among his possessions. The experts found the precious book in a box marked for disposal.
Pearce recounted that when he informed the man's family of the book's significant value, they initially thought he was joking, as they viewed it simply as an old book that had been gathering dust on a shelf for 20 years. The eventual sale for £21,000 felt like a sudden windfall for them.
Pearce explained that the first print run of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" consisted of 5,150 paperback copies and 500 hardcover copies. Of those, 300 hardcover editions were sent to libraries for loan. Thus, very few circulated copies exist. The auctioned book was originally owned by a library, and while library books typically show signs of wear, this particular copy was in remarkably good condition. It had markings on the pages and was initially sold as a used book for £2 (about HK$20). The book also bore a printing error on the spine, adding to its rarity and value as a collector's item.
Pearce emphasized that people often carelessly throw things away, but they always remind clients not to discard items before they arrive, as they could be missing out on hidden treasures.
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