Rare Harry Potter book originally bought for £1 could fetch thousands at auction

A rare sample copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – one of only 200 copies ever printed – could sell for thousands after being bought for just £1.

The book, in which the name of the author JK Rowling is misspelled as “JA Rowling”, is a sample copy created for review before the official publication of the novel.

It is also noteworthy that Harry Potter was first published in print.

Bidding for the book is expected to start at $2,500 (£1,969) at the auction in Dallas, Texas, and comes after a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Sold in 2021 for $471,000 (£371,892).

The sample copy was purchased for just £1 ($1.27) at a publisher’s sale in 1997 – the same year the book itself was published, but well before the Harry Potter sThe series became a worldwide sensation.

The purchase was made by St Kenelm’s School in Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire, and the building remained in their possession until 2002, when it was sold to local business owner Dale Henry for an undisclosed sum.

This money benefited the region and Henry plans to donate the proceeds from the sale to the community this summer.

A spokesman for the campaign said The Independent that a sample copy of Harry Potter sold for £11,000 ($13,964) earlier this year and that this copy is expected to sell for at least $5,000 ($6,347).

“When I first heard about the evidence, I was immediately intrigued by its unique history and connection to the area – and also by the fact that my wife is a huge Potterhead,” said Henry.

“I hope others feel similarly motivated, and I see this auction as an opportunity to reinvest in the community during a difficult time.”

The book will be sold at the Historical Platinum auction in Dallas on July 25, but pre-bidding begins next Monday (July 1).

Interested parties can submit their bids online, by telephone and in person via the Heritage Live online auction platform.

The news of the auction follows shortly after the sale of the original painting used for the cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Auctioneer Sotheby’s estimated the watercolor’s value at $400,000 to $600,000 (£320,420 to £480,630).

Thomas Taylor’s iconic artwork was his very first professional commission and was created after he became one of the first people in the world to read the story of the boy wizard.

“It is exciting to see the painting that marked the beginning of my career decades later and as radiant as ever,” he said.

“It takes me back to the time when I was one of the first people in the world to read Harry Potter for the first time and to the process of creating this now iconic image.

“When I write and illustrate my own stories today, I am proud to look back on such magical beginnings.”

The watercolor will be auctioned to the highest bidder on June 26th, along with other literary works, at Sotheby’s in New York.