Only 500 were printed First edition of "Harry Potter" sold at auction for 50,000 francs
The book series about the wizard student Harry Potter became a worldwide success. One of the first copies has now been sold at auction for a lot of money. It also contains two small errors.
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- A first edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" has been sold at auction in Scotland for the equivalent of more than 50,000 francs.
- It is one of the first 500 copies printed in 1997.
- Because the extent of its success was not yet foreseeable at the time, the publisher initially only printed a few books.
A first edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" has been sold at an auction in Scotland for more than 45,000 pounds (the equivalent of around 50,600 francs). It was one of the first 500 copies printed in 1997, according to the British news agency PA.
Because the extent of its success was not yet foreseeable at the time, the publisher initially only printed a few books, wrote the auction house Lyon and Turnbull on its website. The copy now on offer is in very good condition. The owner bought it in a London store more than two decades ago.
Errors on the cover
The copy also has two minor errors. Firstly, at one point when the equipment is listed, the magic wand is mentioned twice, PA reported. Secondly, a spelling mistake had crept in at one point on the cover.
The auction house had set an estimated price of 40,000 to 60,000 pounds. In the end, the book was sold for 45,201 pounds including fees. The original title is "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". The book is the first part of the fantasy series, which ultimately sold millions of copies and was also made into a film.
dpa