UA proof copy of the first book of the 'Harry Potter' saga sold at auction on Monday for £11,000 (about €12,900).
A copy of the first edition of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', marked on its cover as “uncorrected proof copy”, was bought with two other books in a second-hand bookshop in south London, almost 30 years ago, in 1997. Other books total (just) 13 cents, the Associated Press (AP) quoted British auction house Hanson as saying.
The seller, who has not been named, grabbed the book without paying too much attention. He didn't read it for years until he realized some copies of Potter were being sold at high prices, the Hansons revealed in a statement.
“A big stroke of luck at the right time”, said the woman who 'earned' a dividend from the job, which has now been bought by a private buyer in the UK.
Jim Spencer, the auction center's director of books, wrote on the title page of the copy that J.K. Instead of Rowling, the author's name is 'J.A. Rowling', he also revealed.
“This book deserves to do well. It was this proof copy that started the 'Harry Potter' phenomenon. It was the first appearance of the first Potter novel in print,” said Spencer.
Also Read: “Poetry”. A 70-year-old love letter was found in a box bought at an auction