Auction Success Despite Poor Book Preservation
Seller Also Expresses "Did Not Expect It to Sell" Sentiment
A first edition of the first Harry Potter series book, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,' with a detached spine and some pages containing scribbles, was sold at a British auction for around 30 million KRW.
On the 3rd (local time), according to local media such as The Mirror in the UK, a first edition hardcover of J.K. Rowling's novel 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' recently listed by the British auction house Lyon & Turnbull was sold for ?20,160 (approximately 33 million KRW).
This book was gifted 26 years ago to Holly Hogart (34), who lives in Glasgow, UK, by her cousin. The protective plastic cover was removed, causing the spine to fall off, and the pages had yellowed. Some pages even had scribbles, indicating the book was in poor condition.
Despite this, the book could be sold at a high price because it is a first edition hardcover with only 500 copies printed. The Times explained that about 300 of these were believed to have been distributed to local libraries.
A page from the first edition released by Hogarth. The protagonist Harry Potter's list of items to prepare includes "1 wand" written twice. The page has also yellowed over time. [Photo by The Mirror, UK]
According to Sotheby's, a London auction house, the authenticity of the first edition can be confirmed by the serial number '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' and the repeated typographical error '1 wand' on page 53 of the book. Sotheby's has priced well-preserved Harry Potter first editions at over ?50,000 (approximately 80 million KRW).
Hogart confirmed the book's first edition status by consulting several auction companies. Lyon & Turnbull included the book in their auction catalog last September, and an American buyer won the auction held in February this year.
Hogart said, "I was shocked when the book sold for over ?20,000 at the auction," adding, "I wondered who would buy such a book given its poor condition."
Hogart attended a boarding school like the protagonist Harry Potter and lent the book to friends in the same dormitory during school days. He explained that the book was damaged because it passed through many hands.
Joking about the American buyer, Hogart said, "I don't think this book will survive the flight to the United States."
He said that after paying the auction fees, about ?15,000 (approximately 25 million KRW) remained. With this money, he gave a small gift to the cousin who had gifted the book over 20 years ago and plans to travel around Europe on a Disney cruise with his 2- and 4-year-old children.
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