A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has been sold for £36,000.
Christine McCulloch purchased the book for her son, Adam, in the 1990s for around £10 from a bookstore in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the time, she had no idea that this same copy would be worth thousands of pounds decades later.
The book was sold on Wednesday at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, Staffordshire, where the final price, including a buyer’s premium, came to £45,000.
The book is one of just 500 hardback copies printed in the original 1997 run of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It had been valued at between £30,000 and £50,000.
Adam McCulloch, from Tansley in Derbyshire, shared that the book had been kept in a cupboard under the stairs of his family’s former home in Chesterfield, similar to where Harry Potter’s own books were stored in the story.
The family only realized the book’s potential worth during the 2020 lockdown, after seeing reports about first editions. “Once we got it verified, it was a bit of a pinch-yourself moment,” Adam said.
Recalling the moment she bought the book in 1997, Ms. McCulloch said, “We went into the bookshop and bought it for £10.” She added that her son Adam quickly became captivated by the book, sparking the same fascination with Harry Potter that many children around the world have experienced.
Adam explained that it felt like the right time to pass the book on for others to enjoy. “In some ways, I think the little imperfections—like tea stains and a folded corner—where someone has clearly enjoyed reading it, add to the magic,” he said.