Rare first edition of Harry Potter book sells for £36k

For those who grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione and spent their childhoods learning to pronounce 'Wingardium Leviosa', the Harry Potter novel was nothing short of gospel.

Thus, in a moment which can be termed as life coming full circle, a Harry Potter book which was once bought for £10 (approximately Rs 1,070) is now being sold for £36,000 (approximately Rs 38,53,116) at an auction.

During the peak of Potter mania, a woman named Christine McCulloch bought a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for her son Adam in 1997, reported BBC.

Little did she know that the book she bought for merely £10 will now fetch a prize of £36,000.

This rare hardback copy, which has the iconic illustration of Harry staring at Platform 9¾, was sold at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, Staffordshire, with the buyer paying £45,000 in total with a buyer's premium.

The Hansons Auctioneers said that this book is one of the only 500 hardback copies which was sold in 1997 when the first Potter book was published.

Very much like Harry Potter's first residence, this edition had been lying in a cupboard under the stairs of the family's house in Chesterfield, said Adam McCulloch, owner of the book.

They weren't aware of its value till the pandemic came about and the family heard stories of first editions.

"In some ways I think having that bit of a story around it, some tea stains there and a folded over corner here where someone's enjoyed reading it - I think that adds to the magic," he told BBC.