First-Edition Copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” Sold at Auction in Ireland
Following a number of other rare Harry Potter books that have been auctioned off this year, a first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has been sold at a recent auction in Ireland, according to a news report from Q102, a Dublin radio station.
Citing the Sunday World, Q102 noted that the book was purchased for just €5 at a secondhand bookstore in Dublin and then auctioned off for €5,200 (about $6,097) by Mullen’s in Bray, County Wicklow.
Confirming details of the auction results this week, head of collectibles at Mullens [sic] Stuart Purcell confirmed the staggering price obtained for the Potter book.
‘Perhaps the rarest of 275 lots of rare and antiquarian books on offer was lot 496,’ he said, ‘a 1997 first edition, second impression of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’
On the Mullen’s website, a link to the auction information – including lot 496 – was still available, though the book was sold on September 11:
Rowling, JK. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, first edition, second impression. Bloomsbury, London, 1997, 8vo. illustrated laminated boards, with number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2, VG.
It should be noted that the fact that the copy is a “second impression” means that it is not a first-print copy. This potentially explains why this copy of Philosopher’s Stone did not sell for as much as some other copies have.
With Harry Potter books selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, we doubt that this book will be the last to be sold far above its original price. Would you spend your money on a rare Harry Potter book? Are you hoping that your books will increase in value? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
