PETALING JAYA: A family has sold their first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for a whopping £36,000 (RM202,526.60).
According to BBC, Christine McCulloch purchased the book for only £10 (RM56) from a bookshop in Stratford-upon-Avon back in 1997.
Her son, Adam McCulloch, said the copy had been sitting in a cupboard under the stairs of his family’s former house in Chesterfield.
The family later learned of the book’s potential value during the lockdown in 2020, having seen stories about first editions.
“Once we got it verified it was a bit of a pinch yourself moment,“ Adam was quoted as saying.
On Wednesday, the buyer purchased the book for a total of £45,000 (RM253,217.84). This amount included the buyer’s premium.
This rare copy is one of only 500 hardback copies published in the first-ever Potter book print run in 1997, according to Hansons Auctioneers and was given a valuation of between £30,000 (RM168.811.50) and £50,000 (RM281,352.49).
Adam felt it was the right time to pass the book on for others to enjoy.
“In some ways I think having that bit of a story around it, some tea stains there and a folded over corner here where someone’s enjoyed reading it - I think that adds to the magic,“ he said.
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