An anonymous donation of a First Edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is set to make RSPCA Isle of Wight thousands of pounds at auction. The donation was made at one of the charity’s Isle of Wight shops, but staff have no idea who gifted it. When the book was discovered the RSPCA Isle of Wight team called in Jim Spencer, a world-renowned Harry Potter books experts at Hansons Auctioneers. Jim assessed the book and, thanks to its ‘exceptional condition’, guided it at £7,000-£10,000. It will go under the hammer in Hansons’ 26th February Library Auction. Rebecca Busby, fundraising, marketing and engagement officer at the RSPCA Isle of Wight Branch, has said:
“The book was gifted to one of our charity shops as a possible first edition. One of our volunteers – who is an avid Harry Potter fan and book enthusiast – checked for all the well known markers and noticed this book had them all. “She called me and I could hear her excitement as she said, ‘I can’t believe it we have a Harry Potter first edition, it’s in the best condition I have ever seen. Please could you find somewhere to sell this, as we can’t sell it in the shop’. “We were thrilled to have it valued at between £7,000 to £10,000. All funds raised from the sale of this book will directly go towards helping animals in our care now and in the future.”
Speaking about the find, book expert Jim has said:
“This deserves to fly, especially for such a great cause. I hope collectors are generous with their bids and help the RSPCA, who do an amazing job caring for animals on the Isle of Wight. It would be very difficult to find another copy that’s as well-preserved as this one, so it deserves to set tails wagging at auction. “This book represents the beginning of the Harry Potter phenomenon. Not many paperbacks published in the 1990s have the potential to fetch thousands of pounds at auction. Nobody predicted the huge popularity of Harry Potter, so these books were printed on cheap paper stock. “This, coupled with the fact it’s a children’s book, means most examples are in very poor condition, showing signs of being swung about in a school rucksack, full of doodles, stained from orange squash, or, at the very least, faded at the spine from sunlight hitting the bookcase. “This one is exceptional. The only minor flaws are a couple of lightly folded corners and the usual light browning to page edges, which is in fact a reassuring sign due to the cheap paper that was used. I’d be worried if the pages didn’t have this slight discolouration. “It should appeal to collectors all over the world and the lucky buyer can be doubly happy in the knowledge money raised will help animals like Harry.”
Great news, lets hope the Animals benefit not too many CEO types taking massive salaries from peoples devotion to innocent animals.
Hope it makes top end price.
I wonder if the previous owner is reading this story and is now kicking themselves after thinking it was just a book worth 50p and gave it to charity….
Doh! I want my book back.
Let’s just hope that money gets put into the centre on the island rather than the national pot. I’m sure the person who donated it believed that the funds would stay on the island.