Rare copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to cast a spell at Lichfield auction

Sale date Monday 13th April

A RARE copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is set to cast a spell at auction in Staffordshire.

Estimated at £3,000 to £4,000, the softcover first edition first impression of the boy wizard’s literary debut goes under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers on Monday, April 13, at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park.

Vendor Naveed Younas, 37, from Nottingham, pictured top of page, said he received the paperback as a present when he was small.

“I liked it very much, read it quite a lot and went on to read the other Harry Potter books in due course,” he said.

“It has been left on my shelf for a few years now and I thought this would be a good time to pass on to someone else who will appreciate it.”

There were 5,150 copies of the first edition first impression softcover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone printed by Bloomsbury in June 1997.

Five hundred hardback copies containing the same text were also issued.

Robert French, valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, said: “This well-thumbed example has clearly been much-loved and read repeatedly – exactly what it was printed to do.

“There are some interesting anomalies which identify a first edition first printing of the book, either soft or hard cover.

“For example, on page 53 is a list of school supplies Harry receives from Hogwarts where ‘1 wand’ appears twice, at the start and again at the end.

“On the back cover there is a letter ‘o’ missing from the word philosopher’s and it also refers to ‘Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft’, which was later swapped around to ‘Witchcraft and Wizardry’.

“Conversely, the most obvious tell-tale sign that you do not have a first impression is if the bottom of the front cover states that the book is ‘a Triple Smarties Gold Award Winner’!”

The book features in Richard Winterton Auctioneers’ Antique & Home Sale on April 13, starting at 9am.

On the day of the auction, people can bid online, in the room or by prior arranged telephone bid.

The catalogue goes live online a week before the sale date via our Auction Calendar.

View in person at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park, WS13 8NF, between 10am and 4pm on Friday, April 10.

For more information, to arrange a free valuation of all types of collectables or to enquire about a home visit for large collections or house clearances, email office@richardwinterton.co.uk or call 01543 251081.

How to identify a first edition first impression of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

To be a first edition, first printing, in either hardback or paperback format, the book must meet the following criteria:

• The publisher must be listed as Bloomsbury at the bottom of the title page
• The latest date listed in the copyright information must be 1997
• The print line on the copyright page must read 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 exactly
• The copyright page credits text by Joanne Rowling, not J.K. Rowling
• On the copyright information for the cover illustration, there is no gap between the surname and the date: ‘Taylor1997’
• On page 53 in the list of school supplies that Harry receives from Hogwarts, the item ‘1 wand’ must appear twice, once at the beginning, once at the end – this mistake was corrected in the second printing although it did appear in some later printings
• On the rear cover, the second ‘o’ is missing from philosopher’s – it reads ‘Acclaim for Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone’ – and ‘Wizardry and Witchcraft’ is stated rather than ‘Witchcraft and Wizardry’.