Harry Potter first edition sold for £75,000 at auction

A rare Harry Potter first edition has sold for £75,000 at auction – more than double the asking price.

The book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was being sold by an English ex-pat who originally bought it to help his children learn English growing up in Luxembourg.

It had been sat on a bookshelf for 21 years when the owner decided to check and see if it was a rare copy.

The book was subject to a furious bidding war at Hansons Auctioneers on Tuesday and was finally sold to a private international buyer for a hammer price of £60,000, plus a buyer’s premium, coming to a total price of £75,000.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson declared during the sale: “This is the magic of Harry Potter.”

He described the book as a “Potter golden ticket” and one of the most desirable first editions.

“Wow, amazing result,” he exclaimed at the final price.

Original estimates set the price at £20,000 to £30,000, but it was in such good condition it was expected to sell for more.

Some 500 first edition copies of the book were printed, 300 of which were sent to schools and libraries.

This book is one of the remaining 200, and the fourth to be found by Hansons Auctioneers’ book expert Jim Spencer in a year.