Rare 30p Harry Potter book from Wolverhampton Library sells for magical £10,500 at auction
An ultra-rare copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has sold for a spellbinding £10,500 - more than double its expected value - at auction.
After being withdrawn from Wolverhampton Library, the hardback copy was bought for just 30p by a Staffordshire collector who sadly died earlier this year.
And today, the rare edition went under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers at The Lichfield Auction Centre.
Published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with a laminated board cover, the book is one of only 500 first edition first impressions and, of those, one of only 300 sent to libraries.
The sale attracted international interest, with the winning bid placed over the internet from Los Angeles.
Originally estimated at £3,000 to £5,000 due to its ‘much-loved condition’ as an ex-library book, interest for the book surpassed initial expectations and the rare edition went for more than £10,000.
Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “We’re absolutely delighted with this result.
