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Harry Potter Book Found in Attic Sells for World Record Fee
The pristine copy had been stored unread for nearly 30 years, and auction experts said its condition helped it beat the previous record.
- A rare first-edition paperback of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold for a record-breaking £17,000 at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, far exceeding initial estimates of £7,000 to £10,000.
- When Bloomsbury Publishing released the novel in 1997, the publisher printed only 500 hardbacks and just over 5,000 paperbacks, making authentic first editions exceptionally rare and highly coveted by collectors.
- Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, called it "the best example I've ever handled – and I've handled a few," citing the pristine condition and first-edition markers like a missing 'o' in "Philosopher's" as key to the record price.
- The sale shattered the previous £12,000 record set last year at the same auction house, attracting international bidders before selling to a UK buyer—a domestic retention Spencer called significant since major Potter sales traditionally come from the USA.
- McNichol, now 53, described rediscovering the book while clearing her Edinburgh loft as "surreal," saying "You don't expect to stumble across something so valuable in your own attic," reflecting Harry Potter's transformed status as a defining modern literary phenomenon.
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Belfast Live+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Harry Potter book found in attic sells for world record £17K
A first edition paperback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has sold for a record £17,000
·Belfast, United Kingdom
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Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution79% Center
Bias Distribution
- 79% of the sources are Center
79% Center
14%
C 79%
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