Those Old Copies Of ‘Harry Potter’ Might Be Worth A Nice Chunk Of Cash If You’re Lucky

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If you have an old copy of Harry Potter sitting around, you might be able to fetch a pretty penny for it according to experts. Author Philip W Errington has compiled a chart that shows the worth and value of each edition of the original Harry Potter series in a new book of his own titled, J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography 1997-2013. It doesn’t sound like a thrilling read, but what you could discover inside might surprise you:

He gleaned the information while working at auction house Sotheby’s and unveils the findings in his new book…Unsurprisingly the older the copy, the more money you’re likely to get for it.

If you’re jammy enough to own a hardback edition of Harry Potter and the Philsopher’s Stone, published by Bloomsbury, with a cover showing Harry stood by a train, crack open the champers. According to book site AbeBooks, this rare print could earn you up to AU$76,000, especially if it is credited to Joanne Rowling instead of J.K. Rowling.

That’s about $55,000 here in the States for folks who enjoy their books imported. But don’t fear, The Independent shows that even those American copies of J.K. Rowling’s now classic series are worth something:

‘Prices for first edition first printings go up to around $6,500 with a fair selection between $4,000 and $5,000 – many signed by the author – although cheaper copies can be found.’

US first editions will have the number line of 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 02,” on the copyright page along with “Printed in the U.S.A.23″ and “First American edition, October 1998”. Prices for later editions in good condition are in three figures.’

It might not be enough to fund an island getaway or purchase a brand new luxury vehicle — a robotic steed in my case — but it is better than just dropping it off at your local used book store. Not saying the feeling of satisfaction after sharing your well loved books isn’t worth a lot, we’re just noting that you might be more satisfied with $900 in your pocket.

Worth a look if you’re curious. And as someone is sure to point out, the worth of any of these books is only as high as the demand. So in the end, you might be better off just keeping it.

(Via The Independent / News.AU)

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