Watercolor Completed in Two Days by Illustrator Thomas Taylor
The original cover illustration of the first volume of the globally bestselling Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," is going up for auction.
On the 2nd (local time), CNN in the U.S. reported that the original cover illustration of the first edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," published in 1997, will be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on June 26. The estimated winning bid is $600,000 (about 820 million KRW). It is expected to set a record high price among Harry Potter-related auction items.
The original cover of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is a watercolor painting by illustrator Thomas Taylor. It depicts Harry Potter, with dark brown hair and round glasses, boarding the "Hogwarts Express" train for the first time to go to the magical school Hogwarts. The lightning-shaped scar, a symbol of Harry Potter, is emphasized on his forehead.
Taylor was 23 years old at the time and reportedly completed this cover illustration in two days. This cover was used in several translated editions but was not used in the U.S. edition.
It was first auctioned at Sotheby's in London in 2001, selling for $106,000 (about 140 million KRW), more than four times the estimated price, and is now being auctioned again after 23 years. Sotheby's stated, "More than 20 years have passed since the original cover illustration was first sold at auction, and it has returned in a state that not only surpasses that auction price but also has the potential to set the highest winning bid for Harry Potter-related items."
So far, the highest price record for Harry Potter-related items was set in 2021 at an auction held in Dallas, Texas, where an unsigned first edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was sold for $421,000 (about 570 million KRW).
In 2021, a first edition hardcover of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was sold for ?80,000 (about 130 million KRW). The first edition contains two errors. On page 53, the list of Hogwarts school supplies includes "1 wand" twice, and on the back cover, the word "Philosopher" was printed missing one letter as "Philospher." Also, the copyright notation is slightly different. The author's name, Joanne Rowling, is printed as "Joanne" instead of the initial "J."
At the end of last year, four "magic wands" used in the "Harry Potter series" films were auctioned for $232,000 (about 315 million KRW). The most expensive item sold was the wand used by the character "Ron Weasley," played by actor Rupert Grint, in the film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." The auction house initially estimated the item would sell for up to $7,000, but it was sold for an astonishing $76,200 (about 103 million KRW), more than ten times the estimate. The wand used by the character "Harry Potter," played by actor Daniel Radcliffe, sold for $69,850 (about 95 million KRW). Following that, the wand of the character "Lord Voldemort," played by actor Ralph Fiennes, sold for $57,150 (about 77 million KRW). The wand of the character "Hermione Granger," played by actress Emma Watson, sold for $28,575 (about 38 million KRW).
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