A rare copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by British author J.K. Rowling has sold for £27,500 (about €33,000) at auction in Etoile, UK. Remarkable is the 33-year-old seller’s name: Harry Potter.
Harry Potter of Waterlooville was eight years old when J.K. Rowling released the first book in her bestselling series. One day, his father excitedly came home with the book and his son’s name on the cover after he heard about it on the radio. “The novelty and coincidence of the name made us open the first book, but the magic of the story had us reading for years and years. Harry was 8 and I was 12 when we first read the books together,” Harry’s sister Katie said recently.
Shortly after Father Potter’s death in 2017, the two realized that their beloved Harry Potter book was the first rare edition, of which there are only 500 copies. It still contains a number of errors, as the word says philosopher Spelling error on the back cover. “We weren’t interested in selling the book, despite its financial value,” said Katie Potter. “It was one of the few permanent, tangible treasures we got from our father. So the book was stored in a protective sandwich bag in the cupboard under the stairs, and it stayed there for four years.”
However, recently the brother and sister decided to put the book on sale. In their own words, because they were too afraid to damage it and could no longer enjoy it in this way. “We are not investors or collectors, we are two adult children who want to enjoy life as our father commanded – to the fullest. The book is the legacy the father left us to do so,” it seems.
While the Potter family copy is really good, it was bought by an undisclosed buyer at an auction hosted by Hansons Auctioneers on Thursday for a total of £27,500. Auctioneer Charles Hanson said the sale was “magical and emotional”.
Proceeds from the book will be shared between Harry Potter, his sister Katie, and their children. With the money they also want to fulfill their father’s last wish, who died in 2017, by scattering his ashes in South Africa.
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