Why a Single Copy of 'Harry Potter' Could Sell for $80,000

J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series

A singular copy of the very first book in the Harry Potter series could rake in upwards of $80,000 on Wednesday, April 10.

The rare, first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone—the British edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone—will be auctioned off in New York with a starting bid of $36,000, although auctioneers estimate it will reach between $50,000 and $80,000 by the time bidding closes on Wednesday afternoon.

Besides being ultra-limited with only 500 copies printed during the 1997 first run, of which 300 were given to libraries and 200 went to private owners, the collector's item features several misprints in the copy that were corrected before the next print.

The book is credited to Joanne Rowling, for example, rather than J.K. Rowling, as the author came to be known around the world. It also features "1 wand" repeated on Harry's Hogwarts school supply list, while the back cover contains two errors: "Philosopher's" misspelled as "Philospher's," and "Witchcraft and Wizardry" written as "Wizardry and Witchcraft."

Darren Sutherland, a senior specialist in fine books and manuscripts, told the Daily Mail that this copy comes from the collection of Dale Bullard, a collector of "many different issues, complete sets, as well as the wider field of Potteriana."

According to the publication, another copy broke a British record when it sold for £220,800 (approximately $280,000)  in June 2022. The world record, broken by one sold in Dallas, Texas, went for approximately $450,000 in 2021.

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