A first edition Harry Potter book, anonymously donated to an Isle of Wight charity, could sell for up to £10,000 at auction today (Monday).
The copy of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone was given to the RSPCA and will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Staffordshire.
The auction house’s Harry Potter books expert, Jim Spencer, has valued the copy at between £7,000 and £10,000, thanks to its “exceptional condition”.
In July 2023, a first edition of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone was auctioned for £10,500 while in March 2022, a pristine first edition copy sold for £69,000.
RPSCA Isle of Wight has charity shops in Ventnor, Newport and Shanklin and is based at Bohemia Corner, in Godshill.
From the Island charity, Rebecca Busby said the book was handed over as a possible first edition.
“One of our volunteers, who is an avid Harry Potter fan and book enthusiast, checked for all the well-known markers and noticed this book had them all.
“She called me and I could hear her excitement as she said ‘I can’t believe it, we have a Harry Potter first edition, it’s in the best condition I have ever seen’.”
When the auction starts this morning, the bidding is set to start at £4,200.
Mr Spencer said: “The only minor flaws are a couple of lightly folded corners and the usual light browning to page edges.
“It would be very difficult to find another copy that’s as well-preserved as this one, so it deserves to set tails wagging at auction.”
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