First edition Harry Potter book kept locked in a briefcase for two decades sells for £57,000 in Staffordshire
A rare first edition Harry Potter book has sold for more than £50,000 at an auction in Staffordshire – after it was kept locked away in a briefcase for two decades.
The hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold to a private UK buyer for £57,040 at Hansons’ country house saleroom at Bishton Hall, in Wolseley Bridge, on Thursday(10).
The original auction estimate was between £25,000 and £30,000 for the 1997 edition – which a spokesman for the auction house described as the "holy grail" for collectors. The book is one of only 500 hardback copies produced in the first print-run in 1997, when J K Rowling was a relatively unknown author.
The book was particularly sought after because of the excellent condition it was in – due to the fact its owners, a Lancashire family, kept it locked in a briefcase for 20 years. It had been given to the family as a gift.
Jim Spencer, books expert at Hansons, said: "I am absolutely thrilled the book did so well – it deserved to. I couldn't believe the condition of it – almost like the day it was made.
"I can't imagine a better copy can be found.
"A 1997 first edition hardback of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the holy grail for collectors as so few were printed.
"The owners took such great care of their precious cargo they brought it to me in a briefcase, which they unlocked with a secret code.
"It felt like we were dealing in smuggled diamonds."
The seller, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "It goes without saying that we are absolutely delighted with the price achieved and very pleased with the way Hansons handled the sale.
"The book was given to us as a gift by an aunt when our children were small. She bought it at an independent book shop when it was first published.
"The plan was to keep it as a family heirloom. My wife put it in a briefcase to stop the pages turning yellow."
The book was part of Hansons' Harry Potter bonanza – where 12 first editions were sold at their salesroom on Thursday. They were discovered following the auction house's sale of another Philosopher's Stone first edition for £28,500 in July.
Mr Spencer said: "The book was bought for £1 at a table top sale and it sparked Potter mania. I started receiving 50 emails a day from people who thought they might own a first edition.
"Out of thousands of contacts, 12 first editions emerging including the star find."
The other books included four paperback first editions of the Philospher's Stone, four hardback editions of the Chamber of Secrets – one signed by J K Rowling, two hardback first editions of the Prisoner of Azkaban, and one hardback first edition of Goblet of Fire. All 12 books sold for an overall total of more than £75,000.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, added: "It was a phenomenal Harry Potter result, all down to the hard work of our very own books wizard Jim Spencer."
