A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was nearly discarded, has fetched over £21,000 at an auction. The auction, conducted by NLB Auctions in Paignton, saw enthusiastic bidders in the room, on the phone, and online.
The valuable book was discovered by Daniel Pearce, the auction house owner, among the belongings of a deceased man from Brixham. Originally marked for disposal, the book turned out to be a first edition hardback, making the final price tag “an absolutely great result.”
This particular copy was part of the first print run of 500 copies, with only 300 distributed to public libraries. Mr. Pearce revealed that one of the identifying features of the first edition was a misspelling of ‘philosopher’s’ on the back cover, with the letter ‘o’ missing at the end.
The auction house strategically scheduled the lot for around 16:00 GMT to accommodate interested parties from the West Coast of the USA. Mr. Pearce expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “It’s made its way overseas and it’s a really good result. The owner will be delighted as well with the money.”
