Harry Potter first edition smashes auction record

A first edition copy of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has just set a new world record at Heritage Auctions.

It sold for a massive $81,250 in the September 14 Signature Rare Books Auction in Dallas.

Harry Potter Philosophers

The record for a Harry Potter first edition has increased by a third in a single month

That figure represents a 33.1% increase on the previous record for the book, set at £47,120 ($61,000) through Dreweatts & Bloomsbury last month.

It shows just how exceptional this copy is.

Only 500 first edition hardback copies of the book were ever released. Around 300 of those were delivered to public libraries. The remaining 200 sold to private buyers.

As almost no-one anticipated the extraordinary success of Rowling’s creation, the vast majority of those books were heavily worn or lost.

Only a handful of copies survived in anything approaching mint condition.

The book is described as nearly fine, with only light toning and some small rubbing on the corners keeping it from a higher grade.

Incredibly, it’s not even the best on the market.

Another first edition in near mint condition sold at Sotheby’s for £25,000 ($38,298) in 2015. In today’s market, it could probably approach $100,000. We suspect it’s just a matter of time before we see it at auction again.   

The skyrocketing value of these first editions suggests these are potentially lucrative times for investors in JK Rowling.

We’re offering a signed first edition copy of her blockbuster novel, A Casual Vacancy

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