- A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold for £106,000
- Auctioneers had expected the book to fetch just a fraction of that price
- The previous record for a first edition of the book was £60,168
A signed first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone smashed estimates and sold at auction in London for £106,000
A signed first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold for a world record £106,250.
The 20-year-old fantasy novel by JK Rowling smashed its £30,000 estimate at Bonhams’ Fine Books and Manuscripts Sale in London.
It was inscribed to a friend and her family: ‘For Meera, Donnie, Nastassia and Kai, with lots of love from Jo (also known as J.K. Rowling)”.
JK Rowling and Meera met when their daughters Jessica and Nastassia were attending the same nursery in Edinburgh.
The inscription is dated one month and a day after the book was published on 26 June 1997. It was one of the first copies supplied to Rowling by the publisher.
Matthew Haley, Bonhams head of books and manuscripts, said: “There is always a great deal of interest when first editions of Harry Potter books come to auction, especially, of course, in the very first one in the series.
The inside cover of the book is addressed to a woman and her family and signed by ‘Jo’ or J. K. Rowling
“This particular example was not only in excellent condition, but it had the added attraction of a very personal inscription from the author herself.”
The previous record for a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was £60,168, set earlier this year in Texas, USA.