- An ultra-rare Harry Potter first edition is expected to sell at auction for around $6,000.
- Its owner bought it for 38 cents and ended up leaving it in a storage locker when he moved house.
A worn-out Harry Potter book bought for less than a dollar and almost lost in a storage container is expected to fetch around $6,000 at an upcoming auction.
The frayed copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" turns out to be an ultra-rare hardback first edition that was distributed to UK libraries in 1997 on the book's initial release.
Just 500 were published, and only 300 sent to libraries, according to English auction house Richard Winterton Auctioneers.
Although the copy's spine is worn, they've set an estimate of £3,000-£5,000 ($3,800-$6,300).
The book still bears its library identification, a spine sticker with the letter J, and a stamp showing it was withdrawn from the library and sold for 30p, auctioneer Richard Winterton said in a press release.
Among its unique features is a typo — a missing 'o' in the word "philosopher's" on the back cover.
The book's owner, an avid book collector, died unexpectedly earlier this year at the age of 55, according to the auction house.
He had picked up the book at a library sale in Wolverhampton, central England, for the equivalent of 38 cents. But when he moved house four years ago, the book was put into a container storage along with a mass of other items.
His sister, who asked to remain anonymous, said the man started dealing in books and memorabilia when he was still at school, according to the press release.
He would buy stacks of comic books and annuals from rummage sales and church fairs, which he would then pass on to friends or sell on, she said.
The family knew that he had a potentially valuable copy of a Harry Potter book, but believed it was probably lost.
"Now it's come to light again we, as a family, are quite excited," the sister said.
The auctioneer called it an amazing find.
"Withdrawn and discarded from the library, bought for 30p and now worth thousands of pounds," Winterton said.
He added: "It has clearly been well-read, which is most befitting of one of the initial run of books which helped fuel the early popularity of Potter – which, of course, rapidly evolved into a global phenomenon."
The book's estimate is relatively low, he said, because of its condition, but other early Harry Potter books have sold for much more.
A rare first edition of the same book, which was bought at £12.99 ($16.94) and kept in pristine condition, sold in 2022 for $90,000.